


Reconstruction

by The Fatling (TheFatling)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Politics, Romance, Shipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-06-04
Updated: 2014-01-13
Packaged: 2017-10-20 03:14:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 28,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/208166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFatling/pseuds/The%20Fatling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three years after the war's end, Katara returns to Ba Sing Se.  Caught up in the politics of rebuilding the Four Nations and reeling from a dark turn in the Avatar's nature, she finds comfort in her friend The Fire Lord.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Avatar belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.

“Katara!  What a wonderful surprise!”

Katara barely sets  foot inside the tea shop before Iroh spots her.  She bows.  “It’s good to see you again, General Iroh.”

“And you, Master Katara.”  Iroh returns Katara’s bow with a mischievious glint in his eye before barreling across the shop and giving her a bear hug, nearly toppling the elderly woman standing next to him.

“Iroh!  Careful!  I nearly dropped the tea set!”  The woman glares at Iroh, rights herself again and hustles over  to a table full of rowdy customers, probably students from the University.  One of them catches a glimpse of Katara and leans into the group, pointing at her.  Katara sighs, hoping they won’t pester her with questions about the war.

“The lady is Kwan Soon-Bok, my new tea server,” Iroh whispers to Katara as he guides her to a table in an empty corner of the store.  “I think she likes me!”

Katara laughs out loud.  It takes her by surprise—it’s been ages since she really laughed.  “I’m sure she does, General Iroh!”

“You should call me ‘Uncle.’” Iroh wags his finger in her face.  “Toph does.  Actually, she calls me ‘Uncle Stinky,’ even in front of the Earth King!  My reputation is ruined!”

“Well, at least you know she likes you, General—uh, Uncle.”  Katara shakes her head.  “Sorry, I’m not sure I can call you that.  You’re not my real uncle.”

Iroh waves Kwan over to their table.  “Then let’s meet in the middle.  You can just call me ‘Iroh.’

“Deal.”  Kwan walks to their corner of the shop with a tray.  “Here you go, Iroh.  It’s the new ginger-ginseng blend.”  Kwan winks at Katara as she sets a delicate blue china tea set on the table.  “It’s his newest concoction, so if you don’t like it, you know who to blame.”  Kwan scurries back to the kitchen.

Iroh inhales deeply from his steaming cup.  “Ah, this is the life!  Good tea with an old friend!  So, Katara, what brings you to Ba Sing Se?  No one told me you were planning a visit.”

Katara clutches her own teacup and feels her lips tighten involuntarily.  She’d come up with thousands of excuses on her journey to the city, but now she fears the truth is written all over her face.  She twists her face into what she hopes is a convincing smile and sips her tea.  Swallows.  “No real reason, it was all very last minute.  I just need a mini-vacation.”  Not a complete lie, and Iroh doesn’t seem to suspect anything wrong.  “I’ve been traveling a lot between the South Pole and all the air temples.  There’s so much work to do, rebuilding the Water Tribe villages and helping Aang with his airbending project.”

“How is the Avatar getting along?  Not working too hard, I hope?”

“Well, if he’s not working, he’s meditating, which I guess counts as work for an Avatar.  But every time I see him, he’s so full of energy!  I do worry that he’s not taking care of himself when I’m not there, so I always put one of his disciples in charge of making sure that he eats and sleeps every once in a while.”

“Aang is lucky to have you to keep him grounded.  It’s strange to have people worship you all the time.  I would know.”  Iroh turns to wave at Kwan, blowing her a kiss.  Kwan rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but a smile plays on her lips.

“Aang just sees it as part of his Avatar duties.  It’s important to him to have disciples studying airbending at the temples.  He worries that the art will be lost once he’s…gone.”  Katara quickly changes the subject; she hates talking about Aang’s morbid new obsessions.  “Is Toph in town now?”

“I think so.  She’s working with the reconstruction crews, helping make sure the new buildings are built on solid ground.”  Iroh grins.  “Of course, if it’s not solid, Toph makes it that way.”

The University kids are staring at her.  The one who first saw her stands up and the rest follow his lead.  Katara clears her throat and looks down at the table.  “Well, maybe I’ll head over to her house now.”

Iroh pushes his chair back.  Katara can see him gesturing to Kwan, hears Kwan asking the students if she can get them anything else.  _Thank La_.  “Are you staying with Toph while you’re in Ba Sing Se?  I’d offer you my spare room, but someone—“ Iroh jerked his thumb in Kwan’s direction—“is staying there right now.  She keeps saying she’s going to get her own apartment, but I think she likes to be close to me.”

“You keep thinking that, Iroh,” Kwan laughs from the back of the shop.  Katara glances up.  The students are back in their seats, looking cranky.

Iroh lowers his voice, “Such excellent hearing in a woman of her age!  She is a treasure, Katara!”  Katara and Iroh walk to the shop’s door.  “Would you like me to escort you to Toph’s?  It’s no trouble.”

Katara straightens up and smiles her false smile.  “No, thank you, Iroh, I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Will you come back tomorrow?  I’d love to play a game of Pai Sho with you.  In the back of course.  I’d hate for any of my meddling customers to help you cheat!”

Katara manages to speak through the lump in her throat.  “That would be nice.  Thank you for the tea, and—“ She looks back at the students.  Still watching her with hungry eyes.  “Just…thank you, Iroh.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara remembers a visit to a friend in the Ba Sing Se's Wet Quarter.

Everything in Ba Sing Se looks different to Katara as she rushes through the crowded streets.  _How long has it been since I’ve been here?_

There were several official visits just after Zuko’s coronation in the Fire Nation.  Zuko and Aang agreed that the new Fire Lord and the Avatar should visit major cities in all four nations in order to kickstart the reconstruction effort; both had insisted that everyone from Team Avatar travel with them.  Katara, Sokka, Suki and Toph tagged along as Zuko and Aang met with city leaders and mapped out plans to rebuild their broken societies.  Aang gave inspiring speeches to enormous crowds and Zuko gave generous sums to governments who needed money from the Fire Nation’s treasury.  “The money was probably theirs anyway, before my father and grandfather took it,” he remarked bitterly. 

Sometimes the rest of the team sat in on meetings, offering advice, but more often than not, they sat in well-appointed quarters, heavily guarded.  There were still plenty of citizens loyal to Ozai, seething at every speech Aang gave and losing influence with every donation Zuko made.

“It’s like we never won the war at all!”  Toph exclaimed on their third arrival in Ba Sing Se, throwing herself onto the floor of their apartment in the Earth King’s palace.  “Everyone’s still trying to kill us!”

“Yeah, but you have to admit, the food’s way better on this trip,” Sokka chimed in.  “And no more sleeping outside, no more sneaking around…”

“I think it’s exciting,” Suki said.  “I’m getting to see so much of the world!  I never thought I’d leave Kyoshi island, and now I’m an honored  guest of the Earth King!”

“That’s nice for you, Suki, but I’m a little tired of seeing the world.  The whole point of winning the war was so we could go home and be with Dad and Gran Gran, and we’ve barely seen them!”  Katara burst out.

Sokka leapt to Suki’s defense.  “Hey, calm down, Katara!  It’s not Suki’s fault Appa didn’t drag her from kingdom to kingdom for a year!”

Softly, Katara apologized.  “Sorry, Suki.  I’m just tired.  And homesick.”  She stood up.  “I’m going to take a walk.”

In those days, Katara could still walk the streets of Ba Sing Se without attracting too much attention. Everyone was too confused, still recovering from the years of devastation to notice that the world’s most famous waterbender was walking beside them.  If she bothered to look, she could pick out her designated bodyguard, silently shadowing her everywhere she went, scouring the crowds for any potential threats.  _Ridiculous_ , she thought.  _We didn’t need bodyguards before we took down the old Fire Lord.  I can take care of myself._   But Aang and Zuko both assured the rest of the team that it was only a matter of time before the disenfranchised citizens of the Fire Nation came at one of them, and better to be safe than sorry.  _What if I’m already sorry?_

Katara wandered from the Upper Ring into the Lower Ring.  One of the changes Zuko and Aang’s partnership had inspired was widespread inter-kingdom immigration.  Although the majority of Ba Sing Se’s population was still Earth Kingdom natives, immigrants from the Water Tribe and the Fire Nation poured into the city to replace the refugees who returned to their homes.  Although the Dai Li’s strict regulations had been removed, newcomers still flocked to the Lower Ring, where housing and food were cheap.  Katara wove her way through the throngs of people in the street until she reached the Wet Quarter—Ba Sing Se’s outpost of Water Tribe culture.  She approached her favorite food vendor, a bright young woman named Unna.

“Sea prune stew today, Katara?”  Both girls laughed; Katara always ordered the same thing.  Katara dug in her pocket for a copper piece, but Unna shook her head.  “You know your money’s no good here.”

“Come on, Unna!  You can’t just keep giving me freebies every time I come here!  Just take it.”

“I’ve got a break now, if you let me sit with you while you eat, we can call it even.”




“Sounds good to me!”  Katara balanced her hot bowl carefully as she and Unna picked their way through the crowd in the open air market.  Everywhere Katara looked, she saw reminders of home, but everything still seemed strange and exotic.  No one in the South Pole ever bought their clothes from a stall as immigrants here did; village women sewed all their family’s clothing themselves.  Of course, the men here worked on any construction project they could find in the great building boom that followed the rebel’s victory and earned wages that Water Tribe men of previous generations wouldn’t have believed possible.  The industrious women went to work, as well, no longer charged with the arduous task of keeping children warm and safe from the dangers of the polar landscape.  The main drag of the Wet Quarter was dotted with laundry services, impromptu schools and food stalls, providing a taste of home to all those out of their element in Ba Sing Se.

Katara and Unna pounced on a table as soon as its previous occupants started to stand up.  Seating near the food stalls, like all the real estate in the Lower Ring, was in high demand.  “They’ll have to build more tables soon.  I heard yesterday that another boatload of people from the South landed yesterday,” Unna remarked.

Katara dug into her stew, careful not to talk with her mouth full as her mother had taught her.  “I don’t know where they’d build them.  The Wet Quarter is already packed to the gills.”

“There’s some talk about expanding, but the community leaders would have to negotiate with our Fire Nation neighbors, and they’re not likely to appreciate getting pushed out by the Water Tribe _again_.”  Unna giggled; Katara and Sokka’s role in ending the war was, understandably, a huge point of pride for their countrymen.

“The war hurt the Fire Nation just as much as it hurt the rest of us.”  The memory of Zuko’s sister, defeated, sobbing hysterically, in chains, flashed through her mind.




Unna rolled her eyes.  “Oh, please, Katara.  I mean, I get that you have to do the whole, “we’re all brothers and sisters now” blah blah blah in public, but you don’t really believe that do you?  How many Fire Nation villages were destroyed?  How many Fire Nation women and children died of hunger during the war?  How many firebenders were rounded up and executed?”

“That’s not what I mean, I mean—well, of course the Fire Nation didn’t suffer the same way that we did, and what we suffered was definitely worse, but…”  Katara searched to find the right words, the words that would make Unna understand.  “There’s something that happens when people decide they can kill and destroy to get what they want.  There’s a different kind of suffering, and it doesn’t seem as bad as what they’re doing to everyone else, but the effects last much longer and they’re much, much worse…forget it, nevermind.”  Katara scraped the last of the stew’s gravy from the bowl and licked the spoon.

“I can take that back to the cart for you.”  Unna stood up.  Either her break was over or she was tired of listening to Katara make excuses for the people who had terrorized them both for their entire lives.

“Unna?  Do you ever get homesick, living here?”

Unna laughed.  “No way!  I always hated the cold and the sewing and the cooking.  And I don’t know about your village, but La, it was boring!  Unless we were getting raided by the Fire Nation, but that’s not my kind of excitement.”

“Me neither,” Katara conceded.

“Besides, the weather here is better for my pop-pop.  Our healer back home said that he’d probably die if we stayed in our village, but now he’s so much stronger!  He can walk a little farther every day, and he says he feels twenty years younger.”

Katara smiled.  “Well, I’m glad you’re happy here.  Your stew makes it easier to be so far from home.”

“I’ll see you next time, Katara.”  Unna darted out of her seat, and just as quickly, a teenager holding a plate piled high with Arctic hen plopped down, glaring at Katara.  She threw her hands up, backed out of her chair, and headed back to to the palace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara confides in Toph.

Katara jerks herself back into the present just in time to avoid being run over by a rickshaw.  “Watch where you’re going, Drip!”  She squints, trying to figure out the nationality of the person who insulted her.  Tensions between the three nations have ratcheted up again in the three years since the war, and though it’s more a side effect of familiarity breeding contempt than outright hostility, some nasty epithets have cropped up.  Members of the Water Tribe are Drips, Earth Kingdom citizens are Blockheads, and Fire Nation residents are Burners.  There’s no epithet for Air Nomads yet, but Katara is certain that if Aang’s project is successful, one will be invented almost immediately—Blowhards or Breezebrains or something worse that Katara isn’t capable of imagining.

Of course, with the way the three cultures have mingled and changed within the walls of Ba Sing Se, it’s getting harder and harder to tell which epithet to use on which person.  _As it should be_.  Katara spots a young water tribe girl decked out in an Earth Kingdom outfit and remembers the perverse joy she felt years ago, wearing Fire Nation clothes for the first time.  She had been doing it for her own protection, but was pleasantly surprised by how much she had loved the deep reds of her enemy’s clothing, colors she never could have worn at home, both because they lacked the plants needed to make the dye and the fact that wearing red at home in those years was tantamount to treason.  Now she simply wears the clothing of whichever kingdom she happens to be in, although blending in doesn’t always stop people from noticing that she’s _that_ Katara, war hero and the Avatar’s betrothed.  Usually.  She didn’t have time to pack anything different for this trip.

The Wet Quarter is more organized now, with fewer stalls and more permanent shops and restaurants.  Katara can’t see Unna’s stall anywhere; she’ll have to find out if she’s opened a café tomorrow, after she visits Iroh again.  Dusk is coming on, so Katara quickens her pace.  The population explosion in Ba Sing Se has made the nighttime streets more dangerous.

Toph’s house is easy to find; it’s the only home in the Upper Ring without a lavish front garden.  “I can’t see it, so what do I care what the plants by my door look like?”  The earth on either side of the walkway leading to the doorway can barely hang onto what little grass has managed to sprout there.  Katara can see a few monuments to Toph’s Earthbending exercises even from a few blocks away.  They’re striking, even if they’re not sculptures.

Katara reaches Toph’s walkway and Toph is there instantly, surfing on a tiny wave of dirt and throwing her sturdy arms around the Waterbender.  “I could feel you coming for like ten minutes!  I was going to come down to meet you, but then I remembered that I do _not_ go out of my way for uninvited guests.  Come inside, are you staying over?”

“Is that all right?   I’m sorry I didn’t write first.”

“Sure, I’ll just bend up an extra bed in the living room.  Are you tired?” 

“A little.  I walked here from the Wet Quarter and I walked there from Iroh’s tea shop.”

Toph bends the soil under Katara’s feet, gliding her toward the house.  “Awww, you went to see Uncle Stinky before you came to see me?  That hurts, K, that really hurts.”

The girls are picking up speed, but they’re aimed at the house’s left wall.  “Um, Toph?  Before we go any faster?  The door is to your right.”

“Yeah, duh, I live here, remember?  Besides, I can move my door anywhere I want!”  With a twist of her hand, the door aligns itself with the path Toph is bending, and Katara finds herself inside.

“Oh, wow!  It looks great!  Totally different from the last time I was here!”

Toph proudly puffs out her chest, hands on her hips, arms akimbo.  “Yup!  I redecorate every couple of weeks.  It’s how I relax after listening to the Earth King and the politicians go blah-blah-blah at me all day, every day.  Sometimes, I just send a hawk to say I’m buzzing off for a few days so I can bend my house back into shape or take a trip. They never say anything about it.  It’s getting kind of weird.”

Katara runs her hand over the back of an armchair made of earth.  “They’re probably worried that if they make you mad, you might alienate the Earth Kingdom from the Avatar, and it’s a bad time for that.”

Wrinkling her nose, Toph rebends the chair.  “It felt like you didn’t like the old one.  Take a seat, stay a while.”  Katara sits down, kicks off her shoes and floats some water out of her sealskin pouch, massaging it into her weary feet.  “I guess you’re right, about the politicians not wanting to lose touch with Aang.  They’re all so ridiculous.  All they ever do is fight about the same stuff, like babies.  They fight more than we ever did, you know?”

“It’s the same in the South Pole.  Sokka’s got his mind set on updating our houses and our technology, he’s always sending hawks to the Mechanist to figure out how to adapt things to the cold climate, but not everyone’s interested in changing things.”

“I heard he’s been traveling all over the place, trying to convince everyone that the new capitol should be in Water Tribe territory.”

Katara winces and bends the water back into her pouch as Toph makes a footstool spring up under her feet from the stone floor.  “Yeah…he and Suki are pretty dedicated to that.  They’re playing up the fact that she’s from the Earth Kingdom, and the Earth Kingdom has had too much power for too long, and—“

“And blah-blah-blah.  Believe me, I know all about it.  I just want to rebuild Ba Sing Se, but before we can even think about getting down to bending, the Earth King and his advisors have to consider how it will affect the chances of Ba Sing Se being named the permanent capitol.  I say, it’s the temporary capitol, let’s just keep it here so I don’t have to move.  You want some food?”  Before Katara can say no, Toph bends a lump of earth out of the fireplace and sends it down the hall, where Katara can hear a faint knocking before Toph zooms the clay back into the gap in the fireplace.

Footsteps shuffle toward the sitting room.  “Yes, Miss Toph?”

“Oh, wow!  It’s—“  Katara pauses, embarrassed.

“It’s Li.  Hey, Li, can you make some dinner?  I’m starving.”

“Would you like anything special for your company?” Li inclines her head toward Katara, nodding in recognition.  Katara nods back, smiling.

“Just some dumplings, I think.  Thanks, Li.”  Toph grins at Katara as Li walks into the kitchen.  “Zuko sent them.  After everything… _happened_ with Azula.  They like me because I’m the only one who can tell them apart.  They’ve got two very different walks, Li drags her right foot a little bit, and Lo takes shorter steps.  Lo’s off tonight.  We think she’s on a date with the gardener from three houses down, but she won’t tell.”

“I’m glad there’s someone here to—“ Katara stops herself saying _to take care of you_ —“to help you out.”

“Me, too.  I mean, I could do all that if I _wanted_ to, but Li and Lo didn’t have anywhere else to go.  They wanted out of the Fire Lord’s palace, but not many people want firebending masters who can’t actually bend these days, and most people here won’t hire Burners, even as servants.  Really, I’m doing them a favor.”

“Toph, it’s not very nice to call people Burners, especially when one of them is in the other room making you dinner.”

“Uh-oh, looks like I’ve already offended the Sugar Queen, and it’s only been ten minutes.”  Toph throws her hand over her blank eyes in mock despair.  “Forgive me, your highness, I forgot that you have no sense of humor.”

Katara bristles.  “It’s not about that, Toph!  Things are still really delicate right now, and everyone needs to focus on how we’re all the same, not how we’re different, and when you call someone one of those names, all you’re saying is _I’m better than you_ —“

“Relax, okay?  I get it.  Geez, someone’s been spending too much time around Aang.  Where is Twinkletoes, anyway?  Didn’t he come with you?”

“No, he won’t leave his work for anything these days.  But I needed a little time off.”  Katara finds it easier to half-explain her presence in Ba Sing Se the more times she has to do it.

“Good for you, we can’t _all_ be the Avatar.”  Li comes back and sets a steaming plate of dumplings on the earthen table between the girls.  “I mean, if we were, then none of us could eat Li’s awesome Komodo Chicken Dumplings!”  Toph snatches two dumplings from the platter and alternates taking bites of each. 

“Oh…um…well…I kind of…became a vegetarian this year, too.  Sorry, I guess I should have said something.”  Katara flushes.  She worries that she’ll never get the hang of confident vegetarianism.  She can hear Aang’s calm, proud voice in her mind’s ear: _No thanks, I don’t eat meat._   But she can never seem to boil it down before it spills out of her mouth.

Toph furrows her brow and eyes Katara, still chewing.  “Seriously?  What for?”

“Miss Toph,” Li interrupts.  “Shall I go back to the kitchen and fix Miss Katara something meatless?”

“Oh, it’s all right, I had some stew in the Wet Quarter," Katara lies. "I’m not that hungry.”

“As you wish, Miss Katara.  I will be in my room if you need anything else.”

Li is barely out of the room when Toph explodes.  “Come on, Katara, what’s the deal?  Twinkletoes won’t kiss you if you eat meat, is that it?”  Toph pokes Katara playfully and Katara stands and stalks to the window.  “Aww, I’m just kidding, K!  I’m sorry, sit back down.”

 “It’s not that, it’s just…well, you’re sort of right.”  Katara purses her lips.  Toph isn’t her first choice for someone to confide in, but if not her, then who?  _I’ve got to unload this on someone._   She turns back to Toph, eyes pleading.  “It’s why I’m here, in Ba Sing Se.  Aang doesn’t know where I am right now, I had to leave and get away, just to think and figure this out.”

Toph drops her dumpling, her face twisted in confusion.  “What are you talking about?  What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, I shouldn’t have said anything.  Maybe I’m just overreacting--”

“Katara.  It’s fine.  Just blow of whatever steam you need to blow off, okay, and I’ll _try_ not to make fun of you.”

Katara jerks her head back toward Toph, expecting to see her old companion smirking, but Toph is simply sitting in her chair, back straight, calm and confident _.  I guess even Toph is growing up.  And it’s not like I have to tell her everything all at once._  “All right, but you’ll probably think it’s gross.”  Katara moves away from the window and curls up on her custom-made seat.  “Since his tour of duty with Zuko ended, Aang’s been completely focused on rebuilding the air temples.  While he was traveling, he told anyone who would listen that he was looking for non-benders to help him study Air Nomad culture, to preserve it, especially.  I mean, that makes sense.  He’s the only Airbender left.  If I was the only Waterbender in the world, I’m sure I’d do the same…”

“Well, sure…”  Toph’s got an eyebrow raised.

“I just don’t know if I’d go about it the same way,” Katara sighs.  “He’s obsessed now.  He spends all his time poring over old scrolls and communing with his past selves, trying to figure everything out.  And there's hundreds of people at all the Air temples, all competing with each other for his attention.  When I’m there, we never get to talk about me or what’s going on in the South Pole or even all the stuff you and Sokka and Zuko are doing, or…or even our wedding.”

“It’s coming up, right?  Next year?  Li and Lo are already planning some awful ruffly dress for me to wear, I know it.”  Toph sticks her tongue out.  “Bleeeeeh.”

Katara giggles.  “You can wear whatever you want, Toph…if there’s a wedding.”

Toph gasps.  “What?  You’re _dumping_ Twinkletoes?”

“I didn’t say that!  I’m just…reconsidering.  A little.  Maybe.” 

“What’s to reconsider?  You’re marrying the Avatar!  You’re the most famous couple in the world, you’re in love, all that mushy stuff.” 

Shaking her head slowly, Katara searches for the right words.  “He doesn’t seem that interested in me anymore.  Just how I might be able to help bring the Air Nomads back.  He can train all the people he wants, but it doesn’t mean any of them will ever actually be able to bend.  All  the studying in the world doesn’t make a new Airbender.”  

“Ew, Katara, I just ate!  I don’t want to think about anyone _making_ any kind of new bender!”

 _So much for Toph growing up._   “Forget it, I knew you wouldn’t want to hear this--”

“No, I’ll listen.  Just don’t tell me any of the gory details, cause _yuck_!”

Katara rolls her eyes.  “There’s not any yuck.  That’s sort of the problem.  We never—we haven’t done anything.  We were practically still kids when the war ended, and everything happened so fast, but now he’s worried that I’m not…pure enough.”

“What the heck does that mean?  You’re the purest person I know, always ‘Don’t say burner, Toph,’ and ‘Maybe so-and-so’s not all bad, you guys.’”

“Not pure that way.  Pure like, if I have a baby, will it be an Airbender?  There’s no way to tell, even with all the research Aang’s done.  Bending’s really unpredictable.  Neither of my parents were benders, but here I am.  As far as we know, all the Air Nomads were, but there’s not many records of any intermarriage.  So all we can do is try, and see what happens.”

“Yeah?  So what’s the problem?”  Toph reaches for the last dumpling.

“The problem is that’s not good enough for Aang.  He wants me to be a vegetarian.  He wants me to meditate more and study the Airbending forms.  He wants me at the temples with him full-time, the sooner the better.  He thinks isolating myself from my culture might make it more likely that the baby is an Airbender.”

“Oh.”  Toph chews carefully.  “That’s kinda weird.”

“It seems like he’s only concerned with the having kids part, the Airbending part.  Like who I am and where I come from doesn’t matter, like it won’t be a part of our child’s life.  When I’m with him, at the temples?  It’s like he doesn’t see me anymore.  I swear, Toph, he just looks right through me.  All he can see is this plan, and I’m a big part of it, but I’m not _me_ anymore.”

Toph swallows and sits still for a moment.  Katara braces herself for a sarcastic crack.  Instead, Toph pushes herself off her chair and sits next to her.  “You want me to rough him up a little?  That’s really not fair to you…buddy.”  Toph pats Katara’s shoulder stiffly.  Katara bursts into tears and Toph jumps back “Sorry, I’m not that great at this whole girl talk friends thing!  Want me to go get Li?”

“No, no, no, you’re fine, Toph--” Katara snuffles into her sleeve, laughing a little in spite of herself.  “That was the right thing to say, the first right thing anyone’s said to me in a long time.  Sokka’s never around, and Dad and Gran Gran treat me like I’m a monument in a museum somewhere, I can’t even imagine trying to tell them about this.

Toph stands up and stretches.  “Tell me about it.  My parents have been a total nightmare.  They didn’t want me to stay here by myself, so they said they were going to live here, too.  They lasted a week.  One week.  Not that we got along before I ran away, but I never thought it could get worse.  At least then they seemed like they knew what to say to me, but now they just stand there, like _I’m_ supposed to tell _them_ how to treat me.  It wasn’t working, so I told them to go back home, but they still insisted that I needed an adult around to look out for me.  Then it was Zuko to the rescue with Li and Lo, thank goodness.  They do their thing, I do mine, and everybody’s happy.”   She bends the empty earthen dumpling plate into the low table in front of them.  “Except when I do that.  Drives Lo crazy, even though she knows I can just make new ones."  Toph falters.  Katara can tell she's run out of things to say. 

“I'm pretty tired," Katara admits.  "This isn't going to solve itself tonight, and whatever happens, I’ll need to figure it out with Aang.  You and I can talk more tomorrow, okay?"  

"Yeah, tomorrow..."  Toph smiles a little, relieved.  "I'll make you a bed in here.  You can go get some blankets from Li down the hall.” 

Katara wrenches herself out of her chair.  “And hey--”  She stops and looks back at Toph.  “It’s all going to be okay.”

Katara nods and pads toward Li’s room.  _Oh, Toph.  You don’t know the half of it._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara recalls a pivotal night in her past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay! I'll try to get a couple more chapters up here within the week!

She’s exhausted, but Katara sleeps fitfully.  More than once, she rolls out of bed and stares out Toph’s window, surveying the sleeping city before returning to her blankets to toss and turn and try to remember the a time she slept through the night.  Instead, her mind wanders back to her last stay in Ba Sing Se.

When she returned from her escape to the Wet Quarter and her visit with Unna, Aang was waiting for her in her room at the Earth King’s palace.  His eyes lit up as she stalked in.  “Katara!  Where were you?  We were getting worried.”

“Oh, so I have to clear it with you anytime I feel like going out?” Katara snapped.  Her conversation with Unna hadn’t exactly soothed her jangled nerves the way she had hoped it would; she was still testy.  “If you’re going to make us go with you on every appearance you and Zuko have, you should at least let us do what we want when we’re not needed.”

Katara regretted her tone as soon as the words left her mouth, but it was too late.  Aang’s face crumbled.  “That’s not what I meant, Katara.  You know that’s not what I meant.  You didn’t tell anyone where you were going.  It’s still dangerous out there, especially for you.”

“It’s not like I didn’t have my bodyguard following me everywhere I went.  Honestly, Aang, you worry too much.  Don’t you have bigger problems to think about?”

“Well, yeah, there’s a lot going on right now, but I care about you more than all that.”

“Really?  Then why didn’t you ask me if I wanted to follow you around while you tour the entire world?  You didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go, just, ‘Hey Katara, we’re getting the old gang back together, hop on Appa, we’re already late.’”  Katara shook her head.  “I left home to help you fight the Fire Nation, and now I’ve spent six months as a prop.  You don’t have any idea what it’s like, being away from home for so long--”

She’d finally hit a nerve.  Aang was angry, she could see it bubbling to the surface.  “How can you even say that to me?  I don’t have a home or a family!  I haven’t been home in a hundred years!  Do you think I like it, being in a different place all the time, just getting used to something and then having to move on?  Because I don’t!  But I’m the Avatar, and right now, this is my job!”

Katara could hear whispers and footfalls outside the door; the others were eavesdropping.  _Better put on a good show, then._   “Guess what, Aang?  I’m not the Avatar!  I’m not even the Fire Lord!  I’m just a simple Water Tribe girl who helped out a little--”

“You helped out a lot, Katara, quit trying to act like it wasn’t important that you were there--”  Aang was red-faced, shouting.

“Fine!  I _was_ there.  _Was_.  What am I doing now?  Sitting around, bored out of my mind between all the hand-shaking and the nice-to-meet yous?  You don’t need me here, Aang, you’re just afraid of being alone.”  She’d stunned him.  He shrank into himself, started to walk away, but she wasn’t going to let him get away so easily.  She called through the door, “What do you guys think?  I know you’re out there, you might as well come in.”

Sokka, Suki, Toph and Zuko filed in, guilt written all over their faces.  Zuko spoke up first.  “She does have a point, Aang.  The public appearances made sense for a while, but now…people don’t want to think about the past so much.  They want to think about the future.”

“But we’re part of the future, too!”  Sokka interjected.  “We helped win freedom for the entire world, I’m not just going to sit around while things change around me, I want to be a part of it.”

“Me too,” Suki added firmly.  “I think there’s a lot we can do to help rebuild, to make every nation stronger.”

“Thanks, you guys.  I think that, too,” Aang muttered.

“Not me!  I’m with Katara, I need to be where I _want_ to be.”  Toph turned to Zuko.  “The Earth King asked me to stay here, to rebuild Ba Sing Se.  It’s not my favorite place in the world, but I’ll get to Earthbend all day and not have to do all this stupid ‘hi, how are ya” stuff.’  I want to stay, I don’t want to take off with you when you go.”

“Well, Avatar, it looks like our little posse is split right down the middle.  What do you say?  Let everyone go their separate ways or make us all stay together?”  Zuko smiled his crooked half-smile when Aang didn’t answer.  “I only ask because if you and Katara are going to keep fighting like this, I want to get some earplugs made for the rest of us.”

Aang didn’t smile back.  Momo swooped in and perched on his shoulder.  “No, it’s okay.  Katara and Toph can do what they want.  Sokka and Suki can stay with us as long as they feel like it.  Thanks for doing this for so long, everybody.”  He stopped speaking and sighed.  Katara could see him blinking back tears.  “I’m pretty tired.  I’m going to bed.  Remember, we’ve got that thing tomorrow morning, Zuko.”  He walked out, leaving the rest of the room in stunned silence.

“Wow…” Suki hissed under her breath.

Sokka didn’t waste any time once Aang was out of earshot.  “Are you nuts, Katara?  Do you have any idea what kind of pressure he’s under?  I know you’re homesick, okay?  We’re all homesick, but there’s work to do.  How selfish can you be?”  He shook his head in disgust before he stormed out of the room.  “Come on, Suki.  We’ve got an early meeting, too.  Good night, Zuko, good night, Toph.”

“Good night.” Suki started toward the door, but she grabbed Katara’s hand on the way out.  “Good night, Katara.”

“Thanks, Suki.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”  Katara eyed Zuko and Toph.  They were both just standing there, like they expected something else to happen.  “Good night.  I don’t have anything going on tomorrow, but I’m sure both of you do, right?”

Toph grinned.  “I’m getting a new house.  The Earth King’s paying for it.  You wanna come feel around with me, Katara?”

Katara’s anger finally melted away.  _Leave it to Toph._   “Sure, that sounds fun.  Just make sure I’m up when you are, okay?”  Toph gave Katara a mock salute and shuffled off down the hall.

“That’s nice of you, to go with Toph tomorrow,” Zuko offered.

Katara rolled her eyes.  “Show’s over, Fire Lord.  You should go to bed, too.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“No.  We need to talk.”  He crossed to her bed and sat down.

Katara crossed her arms, exasperated.  “What’s to talk about?  I’m going home, you and Aang will finish up all your traveling and then things will be back to normal!”

“Don’t you get it?  There is no ‘normal’ for Aang.  Everything he knew from his life at the Air Temple is gone, and all he’s done since he returned is travel around on Appa.  With you.”

“I never asked for this--”

“None of us did.  But it happened.  And he loves you.  You’re all he talks about, all he thinks about.  I can barely get him to focus on the work we need to do now, how do you think he’s going to be once you’re gone?”

“You seem to get along fine without Mai here,” Katara accused.

Zuko waved her off.  “I’m older than Aang.  Besides, I’m used to being alone.  If you’re going to take off for the South Pole, you need to make things right with him.  The citizens of Ba Sing Se—the citizens anywhere—if they see the Avatar losing confidence, they might lose confidence right along with him.  We’ve worked too hard to see everything fall apart now.”  He stood and walked to her, put a hand on her shoulder, smelling a bit charred, as always.  “ _You’ve_ worked too hard for everything to fall apart.  I heard you out there.  Give yourself some credit.”  He dropped his arm and strode out of the room, closing the door without a backward glance.

Alone at last, she flopped down on her bed and took a deep breath.  The coverlet still carried Zuko’s scent.  She wrinkled her nose, sat up and drew her knees up to her chin.  _Who does Zuko think he is?_   She already had a brother, and as far as she was concerned, that was one too many.  Of course Sokka wanted to keep traveling; he’d had his battles, lived his soldier boy dreams.  Everything else was just icing on the tea cake.  Katara had become a Waterbending master, true, but she still longed to bend at home, to rebuild, to teach.  To breathe the icy air and tend the village, like her mother and grandmother had done.  She never wanted to be a hero.

A voice within her whispered, “What we are and what we want are two different things.  The mighty oak may want to be a puffy cloud, but he must make peace with being a tree.”  One of Iroh’s proverbs.  She sighed.  _Only one thing to do._   She slipped down from her bed and through the door, past the guard stationed outside—toward Aang’s room.

“I need to see him,” she told the Avatar’s own sentry.  “Is he awake?” 

The soldier knocked on the door with the butt of his staff.  She could hear Aang call from within: “ _Go away_.”

“Please, can you go in and tell him it’s me, and that it’s important?  That—that I’m here to apologize.”  The man pushed the door open and went inside.  Moments passed.  Katara fidgeted with her necklace.  The guard returned to his post, but left the door ajar, nodding to her.  “Thank you!”  She flew into the room to find Aang hunched over on his bed, holding his Airbending staff.  “Oh, Aang—”

“You’re sorry?  I get it, Katara, you don’t love me anymore.  I already told you, you don’t have to stay here.  I’ll be fine.  So go back to bed, or pack, or say you’re sorry, or whatever you need to do.  Just leave me alone.”

She felt unbearably small in front of this boy who loved her so much.  “Aang, I am sorry.  And of course I still love you, it’s just—Look, if Monk Gyatso and the rest of the Air Nomads were still around, you’d want to see them, right?  That’s the first place we went after you came back.”

“Yeah.  So?”  He still wouldn’t look at her.

“So, I may not understand what it is to have my entire tribe taken away from me, but you must understand how badly I want to go home.  It doesn’t mean I don’t love you or I don’t want to be with you, it just means—it’s complicated.  I can’t be two places at once, and right now, you’ve seen me more than anyone in the South Pole has for a really long time.”

Aang’s fist shot toward her.  Something—a ribbon, maybe—dangled between his fingers.  “Here.  I made you this.”

Katara hurried to the bed and outstretched a hand.  Into it dropped a Water Tribe betrothal necklace.  She gasped.  “Aang!”

“Sokka helped me make it.  I understand if you don’t want it—but I thought I’d better try and give it to you before you left.  I was gonna ask your dad first, and propose to you the next time we visited the South Pole.” 

He was still sulking.  _Not exactly the way I pictured someone asking me to marry him._ Still, she felt excitement beginning to build in the pit of her stomach as she examined the necklace.  He’d carved it in Water Tribe colors, but the emblem was his own—the arrow of an Airbending Master.  Tears pricked her eyes and she threw her arms around her fiancée.  “Of course I’ll marry you, Aang, are you crazy?”  She pulled his startled face close to hers and kissed him.

“Oh, wow, are you serious, Katara?  I thought maybe it was too soon, or you’d need some time, because you’ve been so mad lately.  I love you so much, and you mean everything to me.”  Aang seemed to be brewing some tears of his own.

“You mean everything to me, too, Aang, and now we’ll have the rest of our lives to be together.  I’ll be yours forever.”  Dreamily, she kissed him again.

“But wait--” Aang pulled away.  “Does this mean you don’t want to go home now?  That you’ll stay here with me?”

Katara stammered.  “I—I haven’t even had time to think about that Aang, we just got engaged like two seconds ago!”

“Because I was thinking, maybe it is a good time for you to go.  Once this tour with Zuko’s over, I’m going to start rebuilding the Air Temples, so you can come stay with me there, and whenever you’re feeling homesick, you can go back to visit your family.  Or they can come stay with us!  I promise, once I’m done traveling, everything’s going to be perfect.”  Aang leapt off the bed and caught a light breeze, suspending himself in midair.  “Ha!  People in love always say they’re walking on air, and I really am!”  He gazed down at his betrothed.  “I’m so happy, Katara.  Thank you for always being here for me.”

“You’re welcome, Aang.”  Katara flushed, ashamed of her earlier outburst.  “I really am sorry about before, I don’t want you to think—“

“Nevermind what happened before.  Zuko’s right.  We all need to be thinking about the future.”  Aang floated back down to the bed.  “Can I help you put on your new necklace?”

“Sure—“  Katara’s hand flew to the nape of her neck and untied her grandmother’s old betrothal necklace.  “Maybe I’ll give this one back to Gran Gran when I get home.  She and Dad will be really excited about the wedding, I know it.”

“I’ll write a letter to your Dad, I guess.  You’re sure he’ll be okay with this?  He won’t think we’re too young?”  Aang’s face darkened with worry.  Katara lightened it again with several kisses.

“I’m sure it will be fine.  Who can say no to the Avatar?”

“Speaking of which…”  A sly grin crept onto Aang’s lips.  “Would you want to sleep in here tonight?  Nothing has to…happen, it’s just, we’ve never, the whole time we’ve been traveling, and now that there’s something official…”

“Nothing would make me happier, Aang.”  The couple lay down on Aang’s soft bed, Katara nestled against Aang, facing away as the Avatar kissed her hair.  She closed her eyes, contented, only momentarily irritated when she realized Zuko’s smoldering scent still lingered on her sleeve.


	5. Chapter 5

On this visit to the Jasmine Dragon, Katara walks straight through the midday crowd to the door at the back of the shop.  Kwan catches her eye as she passes the kitchen and winks.  Katara closes the door behind her and finds herself in a storeroom with fragrant bales of tea stacked neatly on the shelves, all the way to the ceiling.  The bales fill the air with a dusty, spicy scent and the muffle the sounds of the customers in the front room.  There are no chairs, no _pai sho_ table anywhere.  _This can’t be the wrong door, Kwan watched me walk in here_.

She woke late in the morning to the sounds of one of the ancient Fire Nation twins moving in the kitchen.  Toph had risen early and gone to work, Li or Lo said.  Katara washed quickly, checked her pockets for the gold pieces she had brought with her from the Air Temple, and hurried through the city to Iroh’s shop.

The storeroom is dark, but not so dark that Katara can’t read the names printed on each bale of tea.  She busies herself, reading the names, arms crossed, fighting to keep her mind a blank.  _This is a vacation.  A vacation from all of it_.

Finally, the door opens.  “Katara?”  Iroh pokes his head inside.  “Are you in here?”

“Yes,” she calls from the back of the narrow room.  “Back here, just looking at your tea.”

“See anything you like?”  Iroh joins her in front of the stack of White Monkey Paw she is examining.  “I’d be happy to send some to the South Pole, or one of the Air Temples.  Do the new monks make good tea?”

She smiles.  “I think we buy all of our tea from you, but not all of the kitchen monks have the patience to be good brewers.  And I think the Water Tribe would like the Iron Goddess.”

“An excellent choice for cold weather!   Would you like to take it back with you, or should I send it ahead?”

Katara furrows her brow.  _So many lies, each one easier than the one before_.  “Better…better send it ahead.  I’m not sure if I’ll be heading back to the South Pole or to one of the Air Temples when I leave Ba Sing Se.”

“Uh-huh…”  Iroh scribbles a note on the bale of Iron Goddess.  “And how long are you planning to stay?”

“I’m not completely sure.”  Katara tugs on the hem of her sleeve, avoiding Iroh’s line of sight.  “I guess I’ll stay until I feel…relaxed.”

“Well, then, let’s go back to my sitting room. It is the most relaxing place I know.” Iroh turns to the opposite wall and presses on a bale of chai. The wall swings inward, revealing a small room with a low table already set for lunch. Iroh waves Katara inside before entering himself and closing the door. “The Fire Lord’s palace has many secret passages. I wouldn’t feel at home without one. “He lowers himself onto a cushion and Katara does the same. “Have you eaten?” Katara shakes her head. “Well, then, let’s dig in before I beat you at pai sho! Kwan’s vegetarian noodle soup is very tasty.”

Katara pauses, chopsticks poised over her bowl.  “Vegetarian?  You aren’t vegetarian, are you, Iroh?”

“No, but Toph stopped by this morning for a jug of tea and told me that you were.  She did not seem too happy about that.  Here, try the Pau Buns.”  He nudges the bread basket toward Katara’s side of the table.

Katara smiles and nervously drains the teacup in front of her, scalding the roof of her mouth.  _But did she tell you why_?  “Oh, yeah…you know, Air Nomad customs.  I’m there so much, it was only a matter of time...”

“It must be so difficult to be in a strange place, away from your home so much.”

“It is a lot to handle, but I’m doing okay.”  Katara stares miserably into her noodles.  _Some lies come easier than others._

“Being the Avatar’s consort is no easy task, even when he doesn’t have to rebuild the Air Nation from scratch.”

“Oh, Iroh, it’s not a task, we’re in love!”  Katara giggles, hoping to steer the conversation away from the Air Nomads.

“Of course you think that, you’re young!  But being married, whether you are a powerful bender or a simple fisherman, is a lot of work.  Wonderful work, usually, but still very difficult at times.  There is no shame in admitting it, Katara.”

Katara starts to relax.  “Well…okay.  I guess you’re right.  And it’s not any easier with everyone watching me all the time.  Anytime I feel worried or nervous or scared, I feel like I can’t say anything.  Aang is counting on me, and the whole world is counting on Aang being able to count on me!”  She swallows and gulps down some tea, shaking her head.  “It’s just…it’s just been very hard lately.”

“You should speak to Aang about how you’ve been feeling,” Iroh suggests gently.  “I have no doubt our young friend is feeling just the same.”

“Ha,” Katara barks without thinking.  She clears her throat.  “Um.  Sorry, Iroh, I didn’t mean to laugh at you, it’s just…How long has it been since you’ve seen Aang?”

Iroh thinks for a moment.  “Two years, maybe?  I’m not sure. “

“He’s not the same as he was when the war ended.”

“Are any of us?”  Iroh waves a hand.  “The Avatar was bound to grow up, just like you and my nephew.  He has a very important destiny to fulfill.  He could not be a child forever.”

"It’s like he’s a different person.”

Iroh frowns.  “Different how?”

Katara sighs and pushes her bowl away. _I can tell him part of it.  Just one part._   “What do you know about energybending, Iroh?”

“Not very much,” the old general admits, using a bun to sop up broth from his bowl.  “I know the Avatar used it to take away my brother’s firebending abilities.  Azula’s, too.  It is an ancient art.  So ancient that no one in the White Lotus knows anything about it.  Very unusual.”

Katara flinches momentarily at the mention of Zuko’s sister.  “Aang is planning to use energybending to repopulate the Air Temples.”

Iroh nods.  “Not terribly surprising.  Of course the young man wants to see his people restored within his lifetime. ”

“Yes.”  _I’ve come this far.  Might as well tell him the rest_.  “Aang‘s been training the recruits for two years now.  He thinks they’re ready to have their energy changed, but before that, he wants to change someone else.  As an inspiration or an example--”

“The Avatar wants to change _you_.  Of course…”  Iroh sits back and crosses his arms.  “Katara.  Do you want to be changed?”

Katara fights the tears welling in her eyes, staring straight down, unable to meet Iroh’s gaze.  “I don’t know,” she whispers.  “I want the airbenders to come back, I do, I think it’s important.  I’ve _always_ thought that, I always have, but…”

“But you are a Waterbender.  You are Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe.  Your identity is important to you.”

“So is the future of the Air Nomads.  And Aang is important to me, too, but the Aang I know would never ask me to make this choice, he’d never expect this of anyone… I thought I was strong enough.  But now I’m not sure.  So I ran away.  And now I don’t know what I want.”  She finally looks up.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t want to talk about this.  I didn’t tell Aang or anyone at the South Pole where I was going.  I didn’t want anyone to see me being so weak.  I came here so I could forget, even just for a few days.”

Iroh smiles and takes Katara’s hand.  “Katara, my friend.  If a problem lives in your own mind, you can never outrun it.  It will always be waiting for you wherever you go.”

“How can I tell Aang I won’t do it?  And how can I turn my back on my people, my own history?  What am I supposed to do?”

Iroh withdraws his hand and picks up Katara’s teacup.  He swirls the dregs and dumps them onto her saucer.  He gazes at the blob of wet tea leaves.  “If I were a fortuneteller, I could look to the shapes in the leaves and tell you what the future holds.  I could tell you your destiny and the things you must do.  But I am no mystic, Katara.  I am an old man with a tea shop.  But you—you are a waterbender, the Avatar’s intended and a strong young woman.  With a flick of your wrist, you can change the shape of your fate.”

Katara points the fingers of her right hand at the sodden brown lump and bends the water in the dregs.  She lifts it from the saucer, making soft, crested waves, undulting over the table.  "There are other waterbenders, at the North Pole.  Some of them have moved south, to rebuild the Southern Water Tribe and increase our numbers.  Maybe I could be an Airbending master...but I don't like the hair much.  And I'm the only native Southern waterbender left.  Is that even important?  Everything is changing so fast, maybe I should, too."  She bends the leaves into an arrow to mtch the one on her betrothal necklace, the same arrow as the one tattooed on Aang's head--

“Iroh!”  Katara loses her focus and the arrow plops back onto the saucer, shapeless once again, as Kwan bursts through the secret door.  “There was a hawk, from Zuko.”  She hands Iroh a tiny roll of parchment.  “I’m so sorry to interrupt your visit, Katara, but the general has very specific instructions for any letters from his nephew.  Did you like your soup?”

“Uh, yes, thank you, Kwan.  I’m—I’m still eating it.”  Katara busies herself with her chopsticks, smiling through the noodles bulging in her cheeks.

Iroh scans the parchment and rolls it back up, tucking it into one of his sleeves.  “My nephew is coming to Ba Sing Se tonight!  There is a summit meeting on the location of the new capitol in two days, but tonight the Earth King is hosting a reception to welcome Zuko at sunset.  Better dig out your dancing sandals, Kwan!”

Kwan rolls her eyes.  “You know I don’t dance.  I’ve got to get back out front, I left a tableful of University students there, and I’ll be lucky if they haven’t drunk all the tea in my kitchen.  Good afternoon, Katara.”  With a nod, Kwan sweeps back out the door.

“The Earth King’s parties have gotten more extravagant since he returned from his travels.  And he’s got some new pets.”  A sly smile plays on Iroh’s lips.  “Since Kwan likes me too much to be seen in my company in public, perhaps you would do me the honor of escorting me to greet my nephew.”

“Oh, um, maybe not, Iroh, I haven’t been to a formal event in years.  I don’t have anything to wear, and besides, I’m a mess!  I might burst into tears in front of everyone—“

Iroh sternly interrupts Katara’s sputtering.  “Nonsense, young lady.  It’s true, you have some difficult decisions ahead of you, and you won’t find the answers you seek sitting in a parlor.  Even one as comfortable as this one.  You must learn to think with your heart _and_ your head.  Go to the party tonight. Listen to what people are saying.  New conflicts are rising among the Four Nations, and whatever you decide is going to impact how those conflicts are resolved.”

“But Iroh, I never wanted anything I did to be so important—“

“And Aang never wanted to be the Avatar,” Iroh fires back sharply.  “I wanted to be the Fire Lord once, but now I am only lord of kettles and teacups. “  He sighs, softening his tone.  “We can change some things about our lives, Katara, but no matter their shape, tea leaves are always tea leaves. Now.”  Iroh rises.  “I must prepare for tonight.  Unfortunately, we will have to postpone our game of _pai sho_ until your next visit.  Next time, we will play first, and then you will tell me what you’ve learned from the other guests at my nephew’s reception.  I will meet you this evening at the palace at sunset.  Oh, and make sure you get Toph to stop banging rocks together long enough to come.  I am sure the Fire Lord and the Earth King will be expecting her.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara arrives at the Earth King's palace, where she meets Zuko, an old friend, and a new enemy.

Katara climbs carefully out of the carriage in front of the Earth King’s palace as Li and Lo help Toph to the ground.  She smoothes the skirt of her Kyoshi-style blue dress and eyes the line of well-to do citizens snaking from the main entrance, bathed in the rosy glow of nightfall.  _I wonder if Suki and Sokka are in there somewhere._

“I got it, Li!”  Toph jerks her headband forward, scowling.  “It’s bad enough I have to get all dressed up like an idiot, you don’t have to treat me like a kid!  It’s not like Zuko cares what I look like anyway.”  The Earthbender sighs and grabs Katara’s hand.  “Come on, let’s get this over with!”  Toph stomps toward the palace, dragging Katara along, Li and Lo struggling to keep up.

“Toph!  There’s a line, I think we need to wait our turn,” Katara gasps.

“We’ll just tell them I didn’t see it.”  Toph’s sightless eyes are twinkling.  _Easy for her.  She can’t tell how mad all these people are._   Still, Katara feels certain that once the other guests realize who they are, the crowd will switch from complaining about their brazenness to bragging about how close they were to the two famous benders.

Suddenly, they’re at the entryway and Katara slams into Toph’s back.  “Ow, Toph!  You know, if you’re going to just drag someone behind you, a little _warning_ would be nice before you just stop walking.”  Running into Toph didn’t really hurt that much, but Katara’s on edge.  She’s even more confused now than she was before her chat with Iroh at the Jasmine Dragon.  She had expected him to tell her what to do, but he’d barely given her any advice at all, except to tell her that her decision is even bigger, even more important than she’d originally thought.  She scans the entryway, looking for a break in the line of Dai Li to squeeze inside the palace.

Toph twists her mouth to one side.  “I can’t feel a way inside.  We’re going to have to muscle our way in.”  Li and Lo finally catch up to the two young Benders, out of breath.  “Nice of you ladies to join us. C’mon, everybody, stay close.”  Toph grabs Katara’s hand once more and begins to shout.  “Make way!  Stand back!  Team Avatar coming through!  Close, personal friends of the Fire Lord, watch out!”  The crowd makes room, murmuring, and Katara’s cheeks flush a deep pink.  She keeps her eyes downcast, but she still manages to catch the Dai Li stifling their laughter as Toph pushes past them.

Once inside, Katara spots the Earth King standing beside Iroh, but can’t see Zuko until Toph yells “Move it!  Toph Bei Fong and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, comin’ atcha!”  The line falls back and the Fire Lord raises an eyebrow just before Toph drops Katara’s hand and dashes to Zuko, punching him on the arm.  “Hey, Sparky!  Welcome back to Ba Sing Se!  Which way to the food?”

“Fire Lord, if you don’t mind, I can escort Miss Bei Fong to the refreshment table.”  Kuei, the Earth King, is grinning ear to ear.  Clearly, Toph’s antics go over well with the Earth Kingdom ruler.  “As long as your uncle doesn’t mind filling in for me until I return.”

“I would be delighted to welcome the guests until you return, provided that the Fire Lord agrees.”  Iroh bows, smiling.

“Very well, Uncle.  And it’s nice to see you, too, Toph.”  Katara can see that Zuko is struggling not to laugh as Toph drags Kuei out of the foyer, bellowing “Thaaaaaaaaaaaaanks, Uncle Stinky!”

With Toph out of the way, Zuko turns his attention to Li and Lo.  “How do you like your new home?”

“We are very happy in Ba Sing Se, your highness,” the twins respond in unison. One of them hastily adds, “How is Princess Azula?” 

Zuko’s mouth falls into a straight line and he shakes his head sharply.  “We’ll talk about that later.  I’m glad you came.  Enjoy yourselves, and try to keep Toph out of trouble if you can.”  At last, the Fire Lord’s eyes fall on Katara and his tone becomes playful, almost sarcastic.  “And of course I haven’t forgotten our unexpected guest.  Welcome, Master Katara.  Don’t worry,” his voice drops to a whisper as he deftly kisses Katara’s hand before she can stop him.  “Uncle tells me you’re on a secret vacation.  Aang won’t hear about it from me, but I can’t speak for everyone outside…”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Katara haughtily answers, retrieving her hand.  It’s always a pleasure to see you, _Iroh_.  Enjoy your stay, Fire Lord.”  Katara stalks away, face burning.  How _much did Iroh tell Zuko?_   Surely not everything.  But he’d looked at her as if he knew.  _Why do I always let him get to me?_ Katara finds her way to the main reception hall.  Toph and Kuei are playing with Bosco, the Earth King’s bear, and a few new animals Katara doesn’t recognize, the new acquisitions Iroh spoke of.  Hundreds of other guests are already chatting and milling around.  A waiter with a tray of earthen goblets passes Katara and she lifts one, downing it in one gulp, shuddering as the liquor burns her throat.  _Fire Nation wine.  I wish I’d grabbed two_.  She leaves the empty cup on a table and wanders into the throng of partygoers. 

She can see the other guests beginning to recognize her.  It will only be a matter of time until one of them, or a small group gains the courage to parrot the usual chatter  “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done,” or “What is the Avatar doing?” or sometimes “How is the Southern Water Tribe faring?”  Usually they want to tell some inane story about what they were doing during the war, or how they glimpsed her once in a remote village.  This time, though, the first to approach has only one question.  A willowy woman in an Earth Kingdom gown, she strides toward Katara confidently and bows.  “Master Katara, what is the Avatar’s position on the location of the new world capitol?”

“Oh!”  Katara is caught off guard.  “I, uh, well—he’s—he’s not deciding until after this summit.”

“And will the Avatar be in attendance at the summit?”

“No, I’m afraid—the Avatar’s work at the Air Temples keeps him from traveling right now, so he will wait for reports from the Earth King and the Fire Lord to reach him—”

“Ha!  Well, I think we can all guess whose opinion is more valuable to our Avatar, can’t we?”  A small audience is gathering around Katara and her interrogator.

 _No escaping these people._   “I know that the Avatar will be very fair in considering all sides of the debate—“

“Oh, yes, I’m sure he’ll be extremely fair before he does whatever the Fire Lord tells him to do—“

Katara’s temper flares.  “Aang does not take orders from the Fire Lord!  And don’t forget, if it wasn’t for Aang _and_ the Fire Lord, you wouldn’t even be having this stupid summit—“

“Katara!”  A familiar voice rings out over the argument.  Unna pushes her way through the spectators, beaming.  “Thank goodness you’re here!  Let’s go, we have a lot to talk about!”  She pulls Katara through the cluster of bodies, and they disperse, grumbling, all except the Earth Kingdom woman who had started the argument.  “That’s Qiao.  She’s awful, isn’t she?  But she’s the head of the Earth Kingdom Capitol delegation.  You should have been a little more diplomatic, but I think I got you out of there before you did too much damage…”  She stops in front of a secluded alcove.  “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was worried the Southern Water Tribe wasn’t sending _anyone_ to support the delegation since Suki and Sokka aren't here yet. At least with you we still get the name recognition—“

“Wait, wait—what are you talking about?”

“I’m on the Water Tribe capitol delegation.  Surprise!”  Unna laughs, plucking two more goblets of wine from another passing waiter.  She hands one to Katara and sips from her own.  “Just an undersecretary, but for me, that’s huge.  When we finally expanded the Wet Quarter last year, my dad was elected mayor, and I helped manage his campaign.  Turns out I’m a natural at politics.  One thing led to another, and my dad got me a spot on the delegation.  Sokka didn't tell you?”

Katara forces a laugh.  “Oh, we’re so busy, we're not really in touch.  We both travel so much, our hawks are always passing each other by.”  _More like _his_ hawks.  He wouldn't like anything I have to say right now._

“Not a problem for me, I’m always right here, trying to keep the Burners and the Blockheads from snatching the new capitol out from under us.  Did anyone at the South Pole brief you on the conference?”

“Um, not really…I mean, I’m not here to—I’m just on vacation, Unna, nobody sent me here.  I’ve been with Aang at the Air Temples, so I’m not really up on the whole capitol debate.”

Unna’s eyes flash.  “You’re kidding.  You’re kidding me, right?  Oh, La, this is _not_ happening.  How are we supposed to go in there without any muscle?  You know your friend Toph is totally going to be pro-Earth kingdom for the new capitol, and the Fire Lord is, well, the Fire Lord, so if Suki and Sokka aren’t here to back us up, it looks like we don’t have any credibility!”  Unna drains her cup and shoves it into Katara’s hand.  “This is a disaster.  I have to find the delegation head and fix this.”  Unna races into a corridor and disappears from sight.

Katara finds a waiter and deposits the two empty goblets with him and takes a new one for herself, swirling the wine before she sips.  _What could have been so important to keep Suki and Sokka from coming?  All they’ve done since the war ended is lobby for the capitol location._ She furrows her brow and drinks, wishing Unna had been pleased to see an old friend, not a political pawn.  Over the rim of her goblet, Katara catches a glimpse of Qiao, green eyes burning, watching. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara has too much to drink at the Earth King's party and several plots thicken.

As she starts on her fourth cup of wine, the Earth King climbs the dais at the back of the room and addresses the crowd.  “Welcome, citizens of Ba Sing Se and honored guests.  I thank you for joining me to welcome the Fire Lord and kickstart what I am certain will be an interesting and productive conference on the location of our new capitol.  Please, everyone raise a glass, to the Fire Lord!”

The throng dutifully raises their glasses and drinks.  Katara follows suit, rolling her eyes as Zuko steps forward to make a speech.

“Thanks to all of you for the good wishes.  Before we begin the official summit, I do want to make one thing clear.  My nation unjustly named itself the capitol of our world for 100 years.  As a young boy, I supported this claim and took pride in the Fire Nation’s supremacy.  But by the grace of the gods and the wisdom of the Avatar, I saw the error of my people’s ways and fought to restore balance and justice to the Four Nations.  Now that we have all prevailed over the tyranny of my father’s rule, I wish it to be known that I will not seek a Fire Nation capitol.  Too many have suffered and died at our hands for me or any of my subjects to expect such a great honor and responsibility.  I only hope that my withdrawal of the Fire Nation’s candidacy for capitol might further atone for the many crimes committed in my father’s name and bring us one step closer to naming a new seat of power.”  Zuko humbly bows and a great cheer erupts from the assembly.  Katara sees Iroh beaming with pride, but she also catches sight of Toph and Kuei’s carefully expressionless faces.  A small clatch of Fire Nation guests is glowering and murmuring and Qiao stands motionless, eyes burning.  After a moment, Kuei steps forward once again and invites the guests to take their seats for dinner.

Katara unsteadily picks her way to her seat on the dais.  She’s attended enough political dinners to know that her name will be written on a card in beautiful calligraphy at the table of honor in the least honorable seat.  _Just a simple Water Tribe girl in the right place at the right time_ , she thinks bitterly, motioning another waiter to pour more wine.  Zuko and Kuei sit at the long table’s center, of course, flanked by Iroh and the new Grand Secretariat.   Katara doesn’t recognize the two men seated to Iroh’s right, not that it matters.  Stuck at the other end of the table next to Toph, talking to them isn’t an option.  Toph ignores her, caught up in conversation with the Grand Secretariat, something about repairing the Outer Wall.

Katara miserably pushes her meal around her plate, nibbling from time to time.  Her entrée is vegetarian, thanks to Toph and Iroh’s meddling, no doubt, but it tastes of sawdust as she surveys the massive crowd before her, all of them laughing, talking, scheming.  _Some vacation_.  She flashes a wan smile at her waiter, who is always nearby to refill her goblet with more wine.  The Fire Nation vintage has lost its sting and slides down her throat like honey.

At last, another servant removes her half-eaten dinner and Katara jerks herself to her feet.  Toph’s head snaps to the left.  “K, where are you going?  Don’t you want dessert?”

Katara wobbles slightly as every head at her table—probably every head in the room—swivels toward her.  “Oh, no, thanks, I couldn’t eat another bite.  I just…I just need some fresh air.  I’ll be back.”  Red-faced from embarrassment and countless sips of wine, she stumbles across the back of the dais, trying to ignore the whispers rising from the honor table.

She hurries into a hallway and lurches toward the door that leads to the courtyard.  Her stomach clenches and a sour taste rises in her throat.  _Oh, La, not here.  Let me make it to the courtyard._   She walks faster, gagging, bending her vomit to keep it down.  Finally, she bursts outside, the cool air kissing her flushed cheeks.  She rushes behind a large bush and falls to her knees, retching into the soil, tears mixing with her sick.  She gasps and chokes, praying that it will stop soon.  At last, she is able to draw breath without heaving and she sits back on her heels, closing her eyes.  A warm hand touches her back and she leaps to her feet.

“Relax, Katara, it’s me.”  _Zuko._ “Are you okay?  You looked pretty green in there.”

She spins around to face him.  “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to see you throw up about a barrel of wine.”  His face is a mask of concern.  “You’ve gotta go easy on the Fire Nation wines, they’re pretty intense.”

“Thanks for the tip, I guess I should have known.  Everything from the Fire Nation is _intense_ ,” she snaps at him.  “Like your speech.  Big stuff, way to go, Fire Lord.”  Her gut twists again and she turns around just in time.

Zuko walks over and crouches at her side as she spits bile onto the ground.  “Hey.  Katara.  Seriously, what’s going on with you?”

She glowers into the damp earth.  “Oh, yeah, like you don’t know.  Nice crack about my secret vacation, earlier.  Does Aang know where I am yet?  Did you send him a super-fast hawk?”  Katara spews again, only a trickle, but some of it hits the Fire Lord’s sleeve.  “Sorry,” she offers, and bends the vomit onto the ground.

Zuko sighs and sits, back against the wall behind the bush.  “It’s okay.  Not your fault.  I’m assuming we’re talking about the puke, not what you just said?”  He crooks an eyebrow.  “You wanna explain that?  Because I don’t know anything about…well, anything you’re doing.  Aang only answers, like, every third letter.  He never mentions you anymore.  And it’s not like you ever bother to write me.  So where am I supposed to be getting all this information?”

She blinks stupidly for a moment and then crawls to join Zuko, pressing her back against the cool wall.  Her new dress is covered in grass stains.  “Didn’t Iroh tell you?  Or Toph?  You were such a jerk to me when I got here…”

"I was just joking around, Katara."  He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs.  "I guess I'm not very good at it.  Uncle told me you were visiting Ba Sing Se and Aang didn't know about it.  I thought _that_ was a joke.  But then Uncle said you've been...very sad.  I was looking forward to seeing you.  Thought maybe I could cheer you up.  That's all.  I'm sorry."

“Oh.”  Another wave of nausea washes over Katara, but she breathes deeply and it passes.  “Well.  I’m sorry I overreacted.  I—I haven’t exactly been myself lately.”

Zuko chuckles.  “Really?  Yelling at me seems like classic Katara.  Just like old times.”

Katara manages an anemic laugh.  “If it was really like old times, you’d be trying to catch me to get to Aang,” she points out.  “And I’d hate you.”

“You don’t hate me now?  Because, you know, two years without a letter or a visit…even the Fire Lord can get his feelings hurt a little.”

He’s looking straight at her now.  She can feel his gaze boring into her slimy cheek.  She wipes it with the back of her hand and keeps staring straight ahead.  “I’m sorry.  I guess…I guess I’m still a little mad at you.  And a little afraid.”

“For what?  What did I do to you?”

“Nothing, it’s just that…you were right.  That last night in Ba Sing Se.  I hate it when you’re right.  And things haven’t really turned out the way I expected, and maybe it’s because I never stopped being mad at you for telling me what to do.  I’m sorry.  I’m sorry for that.”

“I forgive you.  And I guess I understand.  I don’t really like being told what to do either.  Probably no one does.”

She steals a glance at Zuko.  Now he’s facing straight ahead, tugging up tufts of grass with his long fingers.  “No, but sometimes we all need someone to help us.  You didn’t have to help me, and I’m glad you did.”  She takes another deep breath.  _Just say it._   “But that’s not the only reason I’ve been so…distant.  I mean, it’s that, on top of this other thing.”

“Yeah?”   A patch of the courtyard next to the Fire Lord’s knee is plucked bare.

“Um, well…I felt—feel—really bad about what happened.  What I did to Azula.  I mean, I didn’t know, none of us did, how bad it was until we’d all split up, and then Aang had to—to stop her bending, and I know you didn’t want him to do that, and I just felt responsible.  Like I couldn’t face you.  I’ve been too scared.  If someone did something like that to Sokka, especially a friend—“

“Sokka’s not a bender.”  Zuko interrupts her babbling, flatly.  He stops ripping up the lawn and pulls his knees to his chest.  “And you shouldn’t blame yourself.  You did what you had to do.  Azula would have killed us.  You know that.”  He stands up, brushing blades of grass from his tunic.  “Aang did what he thought he had to do.  I thought differently, but the decision wasn’t mine to make.  You’ll notice I didn’t stop talking to him.”  A trace of ice creeps into the Fire Lord’s voice.  “Are you going to be okay, now?  I need to get back inside.”

“Sure, yeah, I’ll find somewhere I can clean up, or just go back to Toph’s.”  She struggles to stand, but halfway up, her head spins and she loses her balance.

Zuko shoots an arm behind her, around her waist, and steadies her.  Katara is pressed against his chest, face inches from his.  “Oh Zuko,” she whispers.  “I’m getting puke all over your shirt.”

“It’s okay,” he replies softly.  “I forgive you.”

“Fire Lord!  Everyone inside is wondering where you slipped off to.”  Katara turns her head and Zuko loosens his grip.  “I hope we aren’t interrupting anything.”  Qiao stands a few steps away, a trio of other guests in tow, a poisonous smile on her lips.  “We just came to take the air.  The wine this evening is quite strong, don’t you agree, Master Katara?”

Before Katara can speak, Zuko leaps in.  “Master Katara isn’t feeling her best right now.  I’m just helping her back to her feet, Lady Qiao.”

“How kind of you, Fire Lord.  Perhaps Master Katara would allow me to escort her to my chambers?  She could clean herself up a bit and return to the party?  I understand the Earth King means to give a parade of his menagerie before the fireworks display.”

Katara tightens her grasp on Zuko’s shoulder.  “Thank you, Lady Qiao, but the Fire Lord has kindly offered me use of his own rooms.  I’ll change and then return home.  We’ll go now, so he can rejoin the festivities.  I’ve already kept him away too long.”  Katara smiles and kicks Zuko’s ankle, hoping Qiao and her cronies didn’t see.  Zuko gapes at her for a moment, confused, and then moves to the door.

Qiao calls to their backs.  “We’ll see you shortly, then, Fire Lord.  Such a pity Lady Mai couldn’t join you this evening, but I understand that she is _otherwise engaged_?”  Something in her tone causes Zuko to stiffen, but he does not stop walking.  Katara looks back to find Qiao and her cronies tittering behind their hands as Zuko hauls her back into the palace.   


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Zuko's chambers, Katara gets a lesson in post-war political etiquette.

Zuko is silent until they are in a corridor far from the reception hall.  “Nice going, Katara,” he growls.

Katara hiccups as he pulls her around a corner.  “What did _I_ do?  Qiao looked like she wanted to eat me for dessert!  Unna warned me about her, I wasn’t about to just go… _hang out_ with her!”

“It looked bad.  Us, together, outside.  It looked really bad.  And then you had to go and announce that we’d be taking our little rendezvous to my private quarters…That’s exactly the sort of thing Qiao can use to turn all of the capitol delegates further against me.”  He pulls up short at a door flanked by two guards.  “See that no one comes in.  If anyone asks, I wasn’t here.”  Zuko releases Katara’s arm and shoves the heavy door inward.  She follows him into a dimly lit anteroom.

“What are you talking about?  I was _sick_ , you were trying to _help_ me!”  She’s still shaky on her feet.  She plops down on a footrest and holds tightly onto the sides.

Zuko walks quickly into another room and emerges with a new shirt.  “I know that, and you know that.  But someone like Qiao will see what she wants to see, what’s best for her delegation.  And I guarantee you that right now, this second, she’s back in that reception hall telling anyone who will listen that she found the Avatar’s consort in my arms.  She won’t need to suggest anything else—the blanks will fill themselves in.”  His face, twisted in irritation, disappears for a moment as he pulls off his vomit-stained top.  Katara averts her eyes, but not before noticing that the Fire Lord ‘s chest is broader, more muscular than it was two years ago.  _He’s been keeping at his_ katas.

Staring at the floor, she blurts, “But why would she do that?”

“To get what she wants.”  Zuko’s head swims through the top of his clean tunic, his face softer, less angry.  _All except the scar.  That always looks furious_.  He sighs.  “Some of us bend the elements, Katara.  Others bend minds.  Qiao is the most skilled mind-bender I’ve ever met.  She’ll stop at nothing to ensure an Earth Kingdom capitol, and if she gets to hurt the people I care about most, well…”  He trails off, looking in his mirror, straightening his clothes, smoothing his topknot.  “It’s that much sweeter for her.”  He turns back to Katara with a rueful smile.  “Qiao lost her entire family during the war.  She dedicated her life to the resistence movement in Ba Sing Se.  Her hatred of the Fire Nation kept her going through her grief.   Now that the war’s over, she doesn’t want to let go of that hate.  And the way things are going now, she’ll have plenty of opportunities to strike back at me.”

“And me.” Katara muttered unhappily.  “She doesn’t seem like she’s Aang’s biggest fan, either.  I’m guessing we’re all fair game, then—Sokka, Suki, Toph…”

“Probably.  So just…watch your back.  And your tongue.  And maybe lay off the wine.  Now’s not a good time to lose control, with so many eyes and ears everywhere.”  He walks to the door.  “I need to get back.  By now, the rumors probably have you pregnant with my child and the Avatar on his way to kill me.  Clean up as best you can and then go home.  Leave by the main entrance.  Make sure you’re seen.  That way no one can accuse me of entertaining you overnight.”

“Sure.  I’m sorry.  I didn’t think.”  Katara stands up, carefully this time.  “Hey, Zuko?”  The Fire Lord stops, the door open a few inches.  “What did Qiao mean?  About Mai, when we were going back inside?”

For a moment, Zuko looks diminished—more like the boy he had been when Katara had first encountered him.  “Mai’s…gone.  I mean, not _gone_ gone.  But…we aren’t getting married anymore.  No one else knows, except Uncle.  Although if Qiao found out somehow—“ His mouth tightens and he shakes his head.  “No more stalling.  I have to go defend my good name, while I still have one.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara finally escapes the reception and recalls the beginnings of Aang's new obsession.

Katara remains in Zuko’s suite for a few minutes, finally rising from her perch on the footstool to venture into his lavatory.  She splashes cool water onto her face, bending the vestiges of her sickness into a trough that draws dirty water out of the palace.  She wets her dress, trying to clean the dirty garment, but she can’t coax the stains out of the fabric.  _I’ll have to soak it at Toph’s._

She takes a deep breath and walks to the door of the Fire Lord’s chambers, pushing into the hall, past his guards, down the corridor toward the dull roar of the reception.  The Waterbender keeps her eyes downcast, praying that she can make it to Toph’s carriage without speaking to anyone.  She manages to make it to the courtyard without interference, but the enclosure is more crowded than it was earlier, buzzing with guests assembling for the Earth King’s fireworks display.  No one speaks to her, but she can feel eyes following her.  Passing a group of Fire Nation citizens, she hears one of them whisper loudly about “the Avatar’s girlfriend, the Drunk Drip from the dais.”  Katara lifts her chin defiantly and picks up her pace, desperate to be away from the crowd.

“Back to Toph’s please,” she tells the carriage driver.  “And hurry.”  She climbs into the privacy of the carriage, hidden behind delicate wooden walls and silk curtains.  The driver flicks his reins and the team of ostrich horses lurches forward through the palace gates.  Katara sinks back into the carriage’s plush cushions, exhaling deeply.  As usual, things hadn’t gone the way she’d planned.  _You’d think I’d be used to it by now._

At first, she had been thrilled about her engagement to Aang.  Zuko, Suki and Toph offered their congratulations the following day, and the news even seemed to placate Sokka.  He and Suki joined Aang and Katara to travel back to the South Pole.  “As far as I’m concerned, Appa’s the only way to fly,” Sokka grinned.  The Southern Water Tribe gave them a raucous, joyful welcome.  Hakoda offered Aang and Katara his blessing, tears welling in his eyes.  “I’ve always been proud of you, Katara, but seeing you happy, with someone to share your life with, gives me great joy.  Treat her well, young man,” he scolded Aang.  “Even if you are the Avatar, I’ll still come after you with all my men if you make my daughter unhappy.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to,” Aang said, gravely.  “She’s pretty good at defending herself.”

Hakoda put an arm around Aang’s shoulder, eyes twinkling.  “Don’t worry.  I know Katara will kick your butt if you ever give her a reason.”  They both jumped when Katara flicked a water whip past them.

“That’s for talking about me like I’m not here,” she warned mischievously.  “I didn’t have to miss.”  

Katara tried to return her old necklace to Gran Gran, but the elderly woman refused.  “Save it, to remember your adventures.  When you have a daughter of your own, let her wear it as you did, and your mother before you.  It’s only in the Northern Water Tribe that a necklace marks a woman as promised.  In the South Pole, I’m still a free woman,” she laughed.   Pakku bristled and sputtered at his wife’s jest.  “Oh, Pakku, I’m only joking.  I jilted you once, and you seem to have learned your lesson.”  The elderly couple embraced and Aang squeezed Katara’s hand.




“I like thinking about getting old with you,” the Avatar confessed later in the week, as they walked the village’s icy shoreline.  “Do you think we’ll be as happy as Pakku and your Gran Gran?”

Katara laughed.  “Happier.  You’re not as cranky as Pakku.”  She thrust a hand out and bent some seawater into a heart.  “I love it here,” she sighed.  “No bodyguards, no speeches…and bending’s always easier when I’m at home.  I’m glad you came with me, Aang.”

Aang grinned sheepishly.  “Me too.  Thanks for talking me out of going straight to the Air Temples.  You were right, I did need a break.”  The water-heart collapsed as leaned in and kissed Katara.  “It’s hard work saving the world, but it’s worth it if I get to be with you.”

Katara smiled as she pulled away, casting her eyes out over the sea.  She squinted.  “Hey! Look, Aang, it’s another ship!”  Vessels filled with immigrants from the Northern Water Tribe had been arriving at the village frequently in the six months since the war’s end, and now, people from the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation were flocking to the South Pole.  Some were drawn by Aang and Zuko’s message of unity, others by promises of wide, open spaces and cheap land.  Whatever the reason, the Southern Water Tribe welcomed them with open arms, their population increasing for the first time in a century.  “Should we help them get here faster?”

“Better let me check,” Aang shouted as he soared into the air.  “Last time, we almost gave the captain a heart attack!”  Katara watched as her beloved dwindled to a tiny speck, high above the waves.  Suddenly, the ship leaped forward on the horizon.  _That’s a yes_.  She grounded her stance and used her bending to pull the boat closer as Aang pushed from behind.  _Like Tui and La_ , she thought, shaking her head at the silly thought.  In no time at all, they slowed the ship to a halt at the shoreline and Aang landed gently at Katara’s side. 

The captain dropped anchor and gangplank and the passengers poured out onto the frozen coast, eager to shake hands with Aang and Katara, who pointed them to the village.  “My Gran Gran runs the registration office,” Katara told them.  “She’ll make sure to help you find your relatives who are already here, or send you to Bato.  He scouts settlements for new arrivals.”

The captain approached the young couple as the last settlers headed for the village.  “Thanks for the help.  The passengers were going a little stir crazy.  None of ‘em has ever traveled further than a day’s journey, and none of ‘em had ever been on a boat before.  You’ve certainly shaken things up, Avatar.”  The captain clapped Aang on the back with a huge, meaty hand.  “My crew and I will be here for a few hours to take on supplies and any passengers trying to get to the Fire Nation.  In the meantime, we brought a surprise for you.  He’s been trying to track you down for quite a while.”  The captain pointed back toward the gangplank, where a man was making his way downward, juggling scrolls and a large trunk.

Katara squinted.  “Is that—“

“Zei!”  Ang flew to the gangplank, toppling the scholar with a massive bearhug as Katara jogged to catch up.  “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again!  How did you get out of the library?”

Zei got back to his feet, with Aang’s help.  “Sometimes it takes a while for news to get to the spirit world, but it gets there.  A friend of yours sent a message to Wan Shi Tong—a Lion Turtle, I think he said.  One morning Wan Shi Tong found me and said he had to take me back to the surface.  This Lion Turtle told him I needed to bring as much information as I could on the Air Nomads and find the Avatar.”

“Still,” Katara pressed.  “You were buried so far underground!  How did Wan Shi Tong get you out?”

Zei grimaced.  “He strapped me to this trunk and carried me in his talons.  He wasn’t happy about the journey, but I suspect he was glad to be rid of me.  The whole thing’s kind of a blur, but we must have flown up through the sand somehow.  I keep finding grains of it in my ears and…well, places I’d rather not mention.”

Katara stifled a giggle as Aang dug into the scrolls.  “Wow, Katara, look at this!  Histories of the Air Nomads, Airbending scrolls—this is incredible, Zei!  It’ll be a big help when I officially reopen the Air Temples!”

“It’s my pleasure, Avatar, although I was sad to leave the library…”  Zei sighed.  “Oh, well.  I suppose I should consider myself lucky I was able to spend a few months there.  Now that I’m here, I’m afraid I don’t know what to do with myself.  I suppose I could ask for my old job back at Ba Sing Se U—“

“Why don’t you help Aang?”  Katara interrupted.  “He wants to repopulate the Air Temples and revive Air Nomad culture.”  Katara turned to Aang.  “He’d be the perfect advisor, Aang.  He probably knows more about Air Nomad culture than anybody else.  Besides you, I mean.”

Aang brightened.  “Great idea!  It’s going to be a lot of work, probably too much for me to handle on my own.  I’d love to have another Air Nomad expert around—that is, if you’re interested, Zei.”

“Interested?  Rebuilding a lost culture from the ruins of the past?  It’s an anthropologist’s dream come true!  When do I start?” Zei’s eyes widened in excitement.  “Where do we go first?  North, south, east west?”

The ship’s captain ambled up the gangplank.  “Where are you headed now, scholar?  I hope it’s off this gangplank.  My men need to load in supplies.”

Zei saluted awkwardly.  “Sir! The Avatar has just asked me to accompany him to—one of the Air Temples, sir!”  Zei dropped his hand.  “Which one?  The captain wants to know.”

“Well, if you’re keen to get started right away, we can drop you at the Southern Air Temple on our way to the Fire Nation,” the captain offered.  “ Otherwise you’ll need to wait for the next ship, and no telling when that’ll be.  Save you the trouble of lugging all them books into the village, too.”

“Sir, yes, sir!”  Zei scrambled into action, dragging his trunk back toward the ship.

The captain shook his head.  “A strange bird, that one.  Offer’s good for you two, if you want, free of charge.  We’ll lift anchor in three hours, so be onboard and you’ll be at the Southern Air Temple by nightfall.”  The captain spat into the ocean and started up the gangplank.  “Either way, I’ll be needing you to clear off the walkway.”

Aand and Katara descended together.  “I can’t wait to get a better look at all those scrolls!  I bet it’s full of all kinds of great Airbending forms, and maybe I’ll finally find out how old Monk Gyatso was!  He’d never tell me—“

“So, you’re going?  Already?  We only got here four days ago, Aang.”  Katara folded her arms in exasperation.

“Well, I won’t if you really don’t want me to.  But this is really exciting!  You don’t have to come.   If I take the ship, I can leave Appa here for you, and you can catch up whenever you’re ready.  Please, Katara?  Please?”  Aang smiled his most winning smile, the one he knew Katara couldn’t resist.




“Oh, all right,” Katara conceded, rolling her eyes.  Aang gave a yelp of excitement and air scootered back to the village.  _So much for taking a break._   _But I’m not the only one who deserves to spend a little time at home._   


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara recovers from her indulgence in Fire Nation wine and answers a desire she didn't realize she had.

Katara walks into Toph’s dim front room.  As she lights a lamp, her shadow looms large against the wall.  She paws through her bundle of new clothes.  When she tried to pay, the shop owner refused her gold coins.  “Without you, I wouldn’t even have this shop,” he insisted as he wrapped her selections.  “It’s an honor to serve you.”

It had been simple to steal away from the Western Air Temple.  With a hooded cloak to mask her face, she surfed from the island to the nearby Earth Kingdom peninsula on a disc of ice.  Once ashore, her gold bought passage with travelling caravans.  Even without her hood, no one in the rural areas of the Earth Kingdom recognized her, so she shed her disguise as she moved inland toward Ba Sing Se.  She was able to purchase monorail fare to transport her to Iroh’s shop, but after that, her all-too-recognizable face made it impossible to pay for anything.  _No surprise there._   After the war, Ba Sing Se’s artists had splashed her face all over the city, in murals, reliefs and sculptures depicting Team Avatar’s many (and frequently exaggerated) exploits.

She unfolds a light white nightdress and wanders into the bathroom, opening the taps to fill the bathtub.  She pulls the door shut and finds a container of dried lavender buds to tap into the water.  She pulls her soiled dress off and unwinds her sweat-drenched _sarashi_.  _Good thing I got new underwear this afternoon, too._   She feels sticky and drained, and the hot, fragrant bath water is a relief as she sinks into it, her breasts bobbing to the water’s surface, hair billowing around her shoulders.  She sighs.  Although her presence in Ba Sing Se is now public knowledge, no hawk from Aang or anyone at the South Pole could possibly reach her for a few more days.  _For now, I’m free_.

She laughs out loud at the lie.  _I can’t even be honest with myself now.  All I’ve done is trade one set of problems for another.  Maybe there’s no freedom left for me.  Maybe I’m doomed to be a pawn no matter where I go._   The wine’s effects have mostly worn off, leaving her painfully sober to deal with a lingering headache and the weight of her thoughts.  The fight for the new capital is more perilous than she could have imagined from her conversations with Sokka and Suki.  _Or maybe I just wasn’t listening._  

She lies in the tub, inert, until the water chills.  _I have to tell someone about the rest of Aang’s plan.  The other women he’s been grooming…but I can hardly stand to think about it, let alone tell anyone else what’s going on at the Air Temples._   _What if they tell me to leave?  Or worse, what if they don’t?_    Iroh and Toph’s responses to her revelations have chipped away at Katara’s confidence, and she can only imagine how fiercely her father and Sokka will react. She pulls herself from the bath and the water sucks around her thighs.  She bends the water from her hair back into the tub and wicks the moisture away from her skin.  She hasn’t used a towel in years.

She winds her hair into a knot on the back of her head, leaving two strands in front.  Sighing, she runs her hands over the smooth hair above her forehead.  _Maybe the shave won’t be so bad.  No more hair loopies, though._   After she tucks the ends of the traditional loops under her braided bun and clips them into place, she walks back into the living room and curls up on her temporary bed, shoving her new clothes onto the floor _._ All of the outfits are lightweight, excellent for summertime in Ba Sing Se.  _If I want to go back to the South Pole, I’ll need to go shopping again.  Unless I want to risk running into Aang at one of the Air Temples._

She rolls onto her back, exhausted, but not sleepy, replaying her hazy memories of the evening.  Lots of wine, lots of Qiao…but Zuko, too.  _Zuko was really nice to me_ , she reflects.  _Nicer than he had any reason to be_.  If she hadn’t been so caught up in herself, maybe she would have seen the hurt lurking behind his eyes.  Maybe he needed someone to talk to, himself, with Mai gone.  Someone else who didn’t give two grains of rice where the new capital would be built.  But all she’d done was give Qiao and the other delegates a juicy piece of gossip.

 _Not on purpose._   She hoists herself up to blow out the lamp.  Scowling in the dark, she picks her way back to the bed, flops down and wraps herself in a blanket.  Only in the dark can she admit the way her heart fluttered when Zuko pulled her out of her fall, or the way his bare chest had aroused her.  _The way I used to feel with Aang, before he started pulling away every time, telling me to wait._   The way she had ceased to feel since Aang’s purity campaign started.  _I forgot how much I liked that feeling._

She traces a finger over the cleft between her thighs, shivering at the sensation.  Her other hand flies instinctively to a nipple as she gently kneads the tiny center of her pleasure.  Dutifully, she tries to think of Aang, going through his Airbending _katas_ , but the forms morph and his hands start spitting flames.  Katara struggles to keep the Avatar’s face in her mind.  _He has fire, too._   She quickly loses control and Zuko’s face floats up through her subconscious.  The Waterbender gasps as her body clenches and relaxes, her first relief in months.

Katara lies quietly for a moment, breathing hard, feeling guilty.  She’s done this before, many times, but never to the thought of anyone but Aang.  _Like he’s ever shown any interest in making it happen_.  They had both been so young at the war’s end.  Aang was still a child in so many ways, with little knowledge of the things that passed between men and women in love.  Suki had reassured Katara, once.  “Don’t worry.  In a few months, his hormones will kick in, and he won’t be able to think about anything else.”  Katara had smiled and nodded, eager to end the conversation before Suki got into details about her relationship with Sokka.

But if Aang’s hormones had kicked in, he gave no indication to Katara, keeping his kisses and caresses strictly above the neck.  Meanwhile, she became a woman, with a woman’s desire to match her woman’s body.  And Aang had grown taller, broader, stronger—her perfect man.  The man she would wait for, do anything to please.

Or so she thought.  She flops onto her side, gazing across the room, out the window, surveying the lights of Ba Sing Se.  _I’m just confused.  Confused and frustrated._   She closes her eyes.  _Things will be better in the morning.  They can’t get much worse._    


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The capital debate drives a wedge between Katara and Toph.

Katara wakes early to the song of blue jays and sparrowkeets.  She slips from her bed and dresses quickly, choosing a blue dress cut in the high-waisted Earth Kingdom style.  She draws her waterskin from the pile of clothes on the floor before poking around in Toph’s kitchen.   She finds a stale bun to nibble and washes it down with a handful of water from a jug.  _No need to dirty a cup._   She refills the skin and steals out into the quiet, dewy morning.  Her head still hurts, but nowhere near as badly as it had the night before.  She flushes as she remembers the previous evening’s weaknesses—the wine, her anger, and her solitary indulgence—but resolves not to let it poison this day.  She plants her feet on the bare earth and works her way through her Waterbending katas.  She has not trained since fleeing the Air Temple, and her body glories in the familiar forms. After one cycle, she pulls the water from the skin fastened under her arm and incorporates it into her exercises, pushing against the resistance of the sun.

Finally, Katara returns indoors, coated in a fine sheen of perspiration.   She finds Toph, seated on the rumpled blanket on Katara’s bed.  “Good morning, Toph.”

“Good morning, yourself!  I heard you had a pretty wild night.”  Toph is sipping at a steaming cup of tea.  Katara sees one of the twins puttering around the kitchen.  “Lo’s getting us breakfast.  You’ll probably need it, for your hangover.”  Toph raises her voice.  “ _Not that I’d know anything about that!_ ”  She whispers to Katara, “I totally do.  Kuei used to let me drink as much as I wanted until Li and Lo told him to stop.  They’re no fun.”

“I’m all right, really,” Katara insists, walking to the kitchen and accepting a cup of tea from Lo.  “I came home early and went to bed.”

“Yeah, you were out cold when we got back.  You shouldn’t feel bad.  You just got drunk _waaaay_ before everyone else.   Dinner, dessert, drunk.  That’s the rule for these things.  One of the Fire Nation delegates was trying to convince Bosco to marry him.  It was hilarious.”  Toph chuckles at the memory.  “I heard you and Zuko got caught making kissy-faces in the courtyard.  I know things have been tough with Aang, but geez!  If you want someone who’s going to pay attention to you, The Fire Lord is not the way to go.”

“It wasn’t like that!” Katara snaps, making the tea in her cup jump a few inches into the air.  “I was throwing up in the courtyard and I was trying to get up and I started to fall and Zuko caught me!  It’s not my fault that stupid Qiao walked outside and saw us at that exact moment.”

“Re- _lax_ , Katara!  You were drunk, it’s not your fault.”

“You’re right, it wasn’t my fault, because I didn’t _do_ anything!”

“Look, everybody knows Zuko’s all upset because Mai decided she’d rather take over as headmistress at the Royal Fire Acadamy for Girls than look at Zuko’s face for the rest of her life.”  Toph smirks.  “Hey, maybe _I_ should try to kiss Zuko!  If I was Fire Lady, I’d _never_ have to look at his face!  It’s a match made in the spirit world!”

“Right.  You two would kill each other before your second date.  And he didn’t even tell me about Mai until Qiao said something about it.  So, see?  No way was anything going on.”

Toph shrugs.  “Well, tell that to everyone at the party.”

“Maybe I will!”  Katara bolts down the rest of her tea and flinches.  “Ah!  Do you have anything for a headache?”

“Lo!”  Toph bellows.  “Can you get some pain powder for Katara?” 

Lo rummages around in a cupboard and waddles out to the front room.  She takes Katara’s empty cup and gives her another one.  “I mixed the powder in already.  It doesn’t taste very good, but it should help.”

“Thanks.”  Katara sips the bitter liquid as Lo moves back to the kitchen.

“Hey, Katara?  Have you heard from Sokka or Suki?  Everyone thought they’d be at the reception last night.”

“Nope.  Maybe they got delayed.  I’m sure they’ll send a hawk.  They won’t want to miss this.”

“Hm.”  Toph chews on her lowe lip.  “Might be better for me if they did.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…if the Water Tribe gets the capital, everything’s made of ice, right?”

“Yeah.  So?”

“So if I have to be there for meetings and stuff, I won’t be able to see.  That’s not good for the Earth Kingdom.”

“No, you mean that’s not good for _you_.  There’s a lot of people who will be affected by this decision, Toph.  I’m sure the Earth King will find you a good guide if you have to travel to the South Pole.”

“I don’t _want_ a guide!  I never liked visiting either of the Water Tribes with Aang and Zuko.  I always felt like a helpless kid, about to fall down if I stepped in the wrong spot.”  Toph’s face is screwed up tight.  “I didn’t think I would care where they build the stupid capital, until Qiao mentioned that last night.”

“Qiao?”  Katara rolls her eyes.  “Oh, please, don’t tell me you’re suddenly getting political because of her.  She’s terrible!  She’s the one who started those dumb rumors about me and Zuko.  Zuko told me she’ll do anything to make sure the Earth Kingdom gets the capital, no matter who she hurts.”

“Whatever, K.  You’re just mad because she saw you getting sick.”  Toph crosses her arms.

“No!  I’m mad because she’s messing with my friend!”

“Oh, right, are you going to tell me that the Water Tribe is going to care how a little blind bender gets around in their capital?  What are they going to do, put sand down in the hallway like I’m somebody’s cat?  If I get in with Qiao and the rest of the delegation, that could make all the difference between an Earth Kingdom capital or one in the stupid Water Tribe.”

Katara stands up in defiance.  “The Water Tribe is _not_ stupid!  You take that back!”

Toph rises to her feet and advances on Katara.  “No way!  If the Water Tribe’s not stupid, how come their star delegates didn’t show up last night?  All they’ve got is you, the Drunk Drip!”

Katara ‘s teacup shatters as she hurls it to the floor.  “What did you just call me?”

Toph glares at Katara.  “Your new nickname.  Everybody loved it last night.  Even Iroh and Zuko were laughing at you.  And even if Sokka and Suki do show up, I think your little performance last night convinced a lot of people that an Earth Kingdom capital is the only _responsible_ choice.”

“I don’t have to listen to this!”  Katara fumes, pushing past Toph.  She bundles up her clothes.  “I’m getting out of here, Toph.  Maybe you can ask your new friend _Qiao_ if she wants to have a slumber party tonight!”

“Maybe I will!  At least _she_ understands it’s not always about the Water Tribe!”

“Great!  I’m sure you Blockheads are going to have a wonderful time together!”

Katara stomps her way outside, kicking at the rock formations.  _I hope you felt that, Toph!_ She wrangles a gold piece out of her bundle and hails a carriage.  “The Earth King’s palace.  And step on it!”  The driver tries to refuse payment until she yells, “Just take it!  I need to get there right now!”

She tosses another coin at the driver as she leaps out of the carriage, striding through the courtyard toward the entrance.  Her bundle is starting to unravel and she can feel some strands of hair blowing loose against her neck and forehead.  _I probably look like a crazy person._   She dismisses the thought.  She’s on a mission now.

She marches up to a guard.  “I need an escort to the Water Tribe delegation’s rooms.  Immediately!”  The bewildered sentry ducks inside and emerges with a servant.  Katara repeats her request and the woman bows before wordlessly motioning Katara to follow her.

The servant leads her through a maze of hallways, none of which look familiar to Katara from the previous night’s stumblings.  Finally, they arrive at a plain, wide sliding door.  Katara shoves a coin into the servant’s hand.  “Thanks.  Now beat it.  Please.”  She bangs on the door as the servant backs away.  “Unna!  Unna, wake up!”  _Nothing._   She knocks harder, faster this time.  “Unna!”  _This better be the right room._   She drops her bundle and raises both fists to pound on the door when it finally creaks open.

Unna peers through the doorway, her eyes heavy with sleep.  “Katara?  What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Katara hisses through clenched teeth.  “I want to join the delegation.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara wakes up the Water Tribe delegation and maneuvers to join them.

Unna yanks Katara into the room.  “Keep your voice down, the other delegates are still trying to sleep,” she whispers, steering Katara to another door.

Katara cranes her neck back and sees a half-dozen people sprawled all over the sitting room, sleeping on couches, chairs, even the floor.  “Did they pass out after the party?”

Unna snorts.  “I wish!  When we arrived, our steward informed us that there weren’t enough rooms for the delegation, so we’d have to fit twelve people in one suite.  The senior delegates got this bedroom, us juniors are over there.”  Unna jerks her chin away from the door she is sliding open, revealing a trio of sleeping elder Water Tribe members, two in beds, one on the floor.

“Unna!  This is awful!  The palace is enormous, there have to be more rooms!”  Katara struggles to keep her voice down as Unna pulls her into the senior delegates’ bedroom.

“Of course there’s more rooms!  Qiao's making a power play, letting us know we're on her turf.”  A voice booms from one of the beds.  A woman with long, silvery hair sits up and squints at the girls.  “What on earth is going on, Unna, and why couldn’t it wait until we’d had a chance to sleep?”  The other senior delegates begin to wake as she speaks.

Unna bows, nervously.  “I’m very sorry, Akna, but Master Katara just showed up at our door.  She wants…she wants to join the delegation.”

“Oh, really?”  Akna’s eyebrows shoot up toward the ceiling.  She turns an icy gaze on Katara.  “Am I mistaken, or did you report to Unna that you were simply in Ba Sing Se on vacation?  That you aren’t, quote, unquote ‘up on the whole capital debate?’  Why the sudden change of plans?

“I’ve had a sudden surge of national pride,” Katara murmurs.   “Besides, Toph told me Sokka and Suki still haven’t shown up.  You need a celebrity, right?”  She flashes what she hopes is a brilliant smile at Akna.




Akna frowns and studies her rumpled bedclothes.  The delegate on the floor, a man from the Foggy Swamp Tribe, chimes in.  “That’s true, and if you’d come to us last night, before you drank the Earth King out of Fire Nation wine, I’d say it wouldn’t be a problem.  But there are some rumors going around…”

“That the Drunk Drip got a little too cozy with the Fire Lord last night?”  Katara fires back sarcastically.

After an awkward pause, Unna shrugs.   “More or less. We’ve heard reports about you in varying states of undress, reports that say you were pledging your undying love to the Fire Lord, and others that say you were merely engaged in some very aggressive hand-holding.”

Katara grabs Unna’s hand.  “None of that is true, you have to believe me!”




“Wow, you _are_ an aggressive hand-holder,” Unna teases.  The senior delegates don’t laugh. 

The third delegate, propped up on an elbow in her bed, shakes her head.  “Look, it doesn’t matter whether we believe you or not, it’s what the other delegations believe that counts.  People are going to interpret the idea of you and the Fire Lord alone in that courtyard a million different ways, none of them good for the idea of a Water Tribe capital.  Maybe you’re plotting together, maybe he’s trying to influence the Avatar, maybe you’re convincing him to make a mad grab for power and help the Fire Nation take over again—“

“Why would I do that?”  Katara curls a lip at the delegate, her voice rising.  “I risked my life to stop the Fire Nation, why would I undo everything we all worked so hard for?”

Akna holds up a hand.  “Enough, Master Katara.  I would prefer that you do _not_ wake the rest of our delegation.  Purnak is right, taking you on at this point is a great risk.  We are already starting negotiations from a weak position.  Many citizens in the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation still believe the Water Tribe to be too ‘primitive’ to handle construction and maintenance of the new capital.  Others disagree, but think it will take too much time to build the necessary infrastructure.  Still others argue that our proposed location is too remote from more developed parts of the world.”

The man on the floor snorts.  “Like keeping the politicians away from the money is a bad thing?”

“I agree with you, Chu, but there are many powerful interests in Ba Sing Se that will leap at the chance to pour their money into their representative’s pockets.  And plenty of representatives would be happy to open those pockets and close their ears to anything the ‘savages’ from the Water Tribe have to say. “ Akna turns back to Katara.  “Your brother is very persuasive, very good at swaying people to one side or the other, especially when he and Suki work in tandem.  Does it run in the family?”

Katara squirms a bit.  “Um…well…once I gave an inspirational speech inside a Fire Nation prison…”

Purnak sits up straight.  “Did it work?”

“Sure!  I mean…not right away…”

The three senior delegates share a worried glance.   Akna throws her hands up.  “Who knows?  Sokka and Suki may arrive later today. We’d hate for you to waste your time only to have them show up--”




Katara interrupts, sweetly.  “Oh, I completely understand.  I'm sure you'll be able to impress the other delegations even without any of the Avatar's former companions.  If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to the Earth King about setting up accommodations here at the palace for a few days.  I was hoping to request more rooms for the delegation as well, but if I’m not a delegate, he might find that suspicious.  Or Qiao will tell him it is.  Thanks for your time, though, and good luck tomorrow.”  As Katara bows, she sees Chu, still on the floor, rubbing at his back, shooting a dirty look at Akna and Purnak.  She turns on her heel toward the doorway—

“Wait!” Akna wails.  Katara turns back toward the senior delegates, arms crossed in satisfaction.  Akna attempts to compose herself.  “Unna!  Please escort Master Katara to our study and brief her on our official position.  Master Katara, please familiarize yourself with our plans, but speak of them to no one.  At an appropriate hour, you will request more spacious accommodation for our delegation from our host.  That will be all for now.“

Katara grins as she and Unna pick their way back through the cluttered sitting room. 

“I guess you swayed them,” Unna whispers, giggling.

Katara lifts a finger and intones, “Never underestimate the power of a soft bed.”  _If Iroh could see me now…_


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara crams for the summit and gets more than she bargained for in a confrontation with Qiao.

Following her audience with King Kuei, Katara collapses into her chair in the study for another round of capital debate catch-up.  She lifts a scroll from the mountain of parchment before her just as Unna dashes into the room, with Akna following at a more dignified pace. 

“What’s the verdict?”  Katara asks, barely glancing up from the budget proposal in front of her.

“Four suites in all—one for the senior delegates, one for the juniors, and two for everyone else to split. Not counting the private suite you’re staying in,” Unna reports, flushed with pleasure. 

“Good. “ Katara nods, eager to bury herself in research.  _There’s so much to learn before tomorrow morning…_

“Master Katara.”  Akna steps forward.  “Do you believe it’s true?  That the Earth King was not aware of our—inconvenient lodging situation?”

Katara finally puts down her scroll and purses her lips.  “It’s hard to say, Akna.  His apology seemed sincere enough…but then again, we know the king is a man who’s been manipulated in the past.  That either means he’s determined not to be manipulated again—“

“Or that he’s letting Qiao walk all over him,” Akna finished.  “The woman does get results, I’ll give her that. “

“Maybe that’s the whole point,” Unna points out.  “We know the king wants the capitol in the Earth Kingdom, and it’s not like he’s some master statesman.  He may have made some strides, but securing the world’s capital location—that’s some very heavy political lifting.”

Akna nods.  “So he’s using Qiao to create a situation that’s comfortable for him.  He’s the figurehead, and she’s pulling the strings.”

“Look,” Katara sighs.  “Whether Qiao’s calling the shots or Kuei is, it’s all the same for us.  It’s a majority vote.  We have to make the best case we can and hope it’s enough to convince enough Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom delegates that Water Tribe is the best choice.”

“Good luck with that,” Unna spits out.  “Fire Nation think we’re completely uncivilized, and Earth Kingdom aren’t much better. We were counting on Sokka’s technology presentation, but now we don’t even have that.”

“It’s an inconvenience,” Akna allows.  “But it’s an inconvenience we’ll have to do our best to overcome.  At least we have the Southern Water Tribe’s most famous bender on our side.”  _Nice try.  I’m their only bender._   Katara can see that Akna’s smile is forced.

“I’m going to get some fresh air.”  Katara stands and stretches.  “Unna, will you quiz me on the budget outline when I get back?”

“Sure, Katara.”  Unna shoots a worried look at Akna.  “But…you won’t be gone long, will you?”

“No,”  Katara shrugs, trying not to notice the way Akna’s worry lines have deepened.  “Just long enough to clear my head.”  She pushes through the study door and steals down the hallway, eager for a breath of fresh air.

The sun is high in the sky as she makes her way down the palace stairs, toward one of the palace’s many flower gardens.  As she reaches the bottom, she closes her eyes and breathes deeply, massaging her neck to soothe the stiffness that comes with intense study.

“Ah, Master Katara!  Just the person I was looking for!”  Katara’s eyes snap open to discover Qiao, standing directly in front of her, a bemused expression on her face.  “I take it all those facts and figures are a bit much for you to handle?”

“No.”  Katara narrows her eyes.  “But being sure to take breaks is an important part of training for anything.  If you were a bender, you might know that.”

Qiao flicks a hand dismissively.  “I’ve managed just fine without bending…though one wonders what you would be worth without your special gift.  You’re not clever like your brother, you’re not blessed with a special destiny like the Avatar, and you’re not royalty like the Fire Lord.  Though who knows?  Perhaps your friend Zuko is planning to bestow that honor on you, now that his prior engagement has ended.”

Katara’s fingers twitch, reaching for her waterskin, but she resists the urge to wrap a liquid noose around Qiao’s long neck.  “There’s nothing between me and Zuko, and you know it, Qiao.  You’ve already done enough damage.  Just drop it.”

Qiao laughs, softly.  “Don’t you see, Master Katara?  I can’t just drop it, not with you trying to sway the Fire Nation with your feminine wiles?  Why, for all I know, he’s making the rounds right now, telling anyone who will listen that we simply must have a Water Tribe capital so he doesn’t lose your favor.”

“You know that isn’t true,” Katara hisses through clenched teeth.

“I don’t, actually, not for certain.  Unless…”  Qiao examines her fingernails as she trails off.

“Unless what?”  Katara crosses her arms, in no mood to be threatened.

Qiao’s mouth turns up at the corners, though she keeps her eyes on her hand.  “Unless you drop this ridiculous notion of a Water Tribe capital and back your friend, the Bei Fong girl.  I’ve set everything up beautifully for you.  You’ll be so moved by the plight of your blind friend that you’ll abandon your home for the only, the correct choice.  You can even continue with this ridiculous bout of studying.  Last minute conversions are _so_ much more convincing.  If you’ll agree, I’ll make it known that my companions and I were mistaken about your involvement with the Fire Lord.  It won’t erase suspicion entirely in some quarters, but my good opinion can have an astonishing effect on people, if I do say so myself.  Of course, you’ve already seen what my bad opinion is capable of, so I’m sure you’d be very unhappy if the rumors got worse.”  Qiao finally meets Katara’s horrified gaze.  “Or if the scandal reached the Avatar.”

Katara frantically fishes around her blank mind.  She knows she has to say something, anything, but her mouth has gone dry and her hands and feet feel colder than ice.  She tries to move her thick tongue.  _Think, Katara, think!  There’s got to be a way to stop this, something you can use!_   Suddenly, she strikes upon an idea, and flashes a sly smile of her own.  “I don’t really think you’re in a position to make threats, Qiao.”

“Oh, no?”  Qiao steps closer to Katara, obviously amused that the young water bender is challenging her.  “And why is that?”

“Because no one knows where my brother is,” Katara announces triumphantly.  “Ask anyone—he can’t travel three miles without sending a messenger hawk full of new ideas.  So if he isn’t here, and no one’s heard from him, that means he’s being delayed.  Most likely gainst his will.”  Katara measures her words, letting them emerge slow and heavy from her mouth.  “Now, who could possibly have the resources to detain Sokka of the Water Tribe—not to mention Suki.  They’d need practically a whole battalion to subdue them, and we all know the Fire Nation is no longer allowed to garrison troops in those numbers anywhere but the Fire Nation.  The Water Tribe has no reason to prevent Sokka from attending this summit.  Even the dissenters who favor an Earth Kingdom capital want him to make a good impression here.  There’s only one Air Nomad, and I can tell you for a fact that he was nowhere near Sokka two days ago.  Even with a Sky Bison, he couldn’t have caught up with Sokka and Suki that quickly.  So who has a considerable military force with access to not only the Earth Kingdom, but the specific details of my brother’s itinerary?  I suppose it could be the Earth King,” Katara cocks an eyebrow.  “Or the person who reads his mail.”

A darkness flickers over Qiao’s face before she regains her composure.  “And who would believe you if you told them?  After your behavior the other night?”

Katara shrugs and grins through her nervousness.    _It’s_ _working, don’t stop now._ “Maybe my word doesn’t count for much anymore.  But it wouldn’t have to come from me.  General Iroh could bring it up.  I could even ask Aang to investigate. Zuko’s been compromised, but that won’t matter much once this news comes to light—“





“Very well.”  Katara can tell that Qiao is fuming beneath her impassive mask.  “I will circulate my…uncertainty as to what transpired between you and the young Fire Lord.  Some, if not all, the injury to your reputation will be mitigated.  I still urge you to see reason and back the Earth Kingdom’s proposal, but it seems unlikely that you’ll be persuaded.”  Qiao sniffs and glides past Katara toward the palace.  “I’ll see you when the summit begins.”

Relief washes over Katara.  _She gave in so easily, that must mean the Water Tribe has a real chance!_   But then she remembers the shadow in Qiao’s expression when she suggested that the Earth Kingdom was responsible for Sokka’s disappearance and her stomach turns to stone.

_Maybe she gave in so easily because she knows where Sokka is._


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Convinced that Sokka and Suki are in danger, Katara begs Zuko to help her look for them.

Katara stands in the courtyard, frozen, trying to parse out what to do.  _What if I’m wrong?  What if it’s all a misunderstanding.  But it couldn’t be…_

Without realizing, Katara’s feet start propelling her closer to the palace.  She mindlessly fights the urge to run, knowing that would only stoke the fires of suspicion already blazing in the hearts of every capital delegate.  Instead, she walks calmly, steadily, forcing her face into a pleasant mask, nodding at passersby, keeping an eye out for Qiao.

Finally, she peels off toward the wing reserved for the Earth King’s most honored guests and breaks into a run.  She whizzes past her own quarters and skids to a stop in front of Zuko’s door.  “Tell him I need to see him.  It’s urgent,” she pants breathlessly.  The guard on the left looks askance at his partner and shrugs.  The right hand guard ducks into the Fire Lord’s quarters, leaving Katara standing awkwardly in the hallway. She glances nervously down the corridor, hoping that no one will see her.  The guard returns and holds up one hand.  She hears Zuko’s voice drawing near to the door.  A Fire Nation citizen emerges into the hallway, followed closely by Zuko. 

“Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today, Orochi.  I apologize for having to cut things short, but I have urgent business with a delegate from the Water tribe.  We’ll talk again soon?”  A short, miserly-looking  Fire Nation man with a scraggly beard emerges ahead of Zuko.  He catches sight of Katara and glares at her.  Zuko merely glances in her direction, but she can detect irritation behind his eyes.  “Perhaps I’ll see you at lunch this afternoon?”

Orochi shuffles his feet.  “Maybe.  Some of the other delegates were talking about going into town for lunch, but I’ll see what I can do…”  He trails off and begins drifting down the hallway.  Once he’s out of earshot, Zuko deflates and pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing.  “This better be good, Katara.  Without Orochi’s vote for a Water Tribe capital, we don’t stand much of a chance with the Fire Nation.”  He sweeps back into his quarters, leaving Katara to scurry inside after him.

Once inside, she nudges the door shut.  “I’m sorry, Zuko, but you’re the only one I can trust.”

“What are you talking about?  What about Toph?  What about the Earth King?  Was my uncle busy?  There’s dozens of people in Ba Sing Se that can help you with your little problems, Katara, I don’t see why—“

“It’s not ‘my little problems,’ Zuko!” Katara blurts out.  “It’s about Sokka.  And Suki.  I think they’re in trouble.  And I think Qiao has something to do with it, and if she knows about it, maybe the Earth King does, too.”

“Whoa, Katara, slow down.”  Zuko sits in a low chair and fixes his gaze on Katara.  “Why would the Earth King want to hurt Sokka or Suki?  For that matter, why would Qiao?”

Katara takes a deep breath and explains the encounter with Qiao in the garden—the blackmail attempt and Katara’s own retort.  “And then it hit me—Sokka’s got more messenger hawks than anyone else in the four nations, and you know he uses all of them, constantly.  So why hasn’t anyone heard from him, unless someone is keeping him somewhere against his will?  And when I said that, Qiao just…reacted.  I don’t know how to describe it, but I could see it on her face.  Whether she’s acting alone or for the Earth King, she _knows_ where they are.”

Zuko crosses his arms.  “Well, what do you want me to do about it?”

“We have to try and find them, Zuko!  If they know who’s responsible for kidnapping them, if they can identify anyone involved, there’s no way Qiao would let them survive!”

“So, you want me to just ignore all the work I’ve done—all the work Sokka asked me to do in the first place—to make sure the capital is in Water Tribe territory, and just—what?  Take off on some wild goose chase?  What if we’re wrong?  What if it’s all a big misunderstanding, and we miss the vote?  That just leaves Qiao wide open to make sure the Earth Kingdom gets the capital!  Maybe you’re just doing what she wants you to do.”  Zuko stands and stalks to his window, peering down into the courtyard.  “She’s already been playing both of us like a tsungi horn, this is probably just the next stage of her plan.”

“But what if I’m right?  What if Sokka and Suki _are_ in danger, and we don’t do anything about it?  Can you live with yourself if it turns out that I was right?  Isn’t it better to save my brother than win the capital?”  Katara strides over to Zuko and grabs him by the arm.  “If you’re not going to help me, I’m going on my own.  Just…just please don’t tell anyone.  It might make things worse.”  Katara turns back toward the door, tears stinging her eyes.

“Katara, wait.”  Zuko’s voice sounds thick.  Emotional.  Katata hasn’t hear him sound that way since…she shakes the memory of his sister from her mind, trying to focus on the present.  “You can’t do this alone.  Ask Toph to go with you. ”

Katara sighs, defeated.  “Toph and I aren’t on speaking terms, Zuko.  Qiao got to her.  She’s fully supporting an Earth Kingdom capital.  If I tell her about this, she’ll just accuse me of trying to undermine her vote. “

“What about Aang?  Send word to him, he’ll help you no matter what.”

 _Would he?_   Katara shakes her head.  “By the time I get word to Aang, it might already be too late.  If Qiao is behind this, it’s a pretty good plan.  I know it’s just a hunch, but it’s all I have to go on.”  She twists around to face Zuko again.  “I know you don’t owe me anything.  And your sister is…what she is because of me.  But please, Zuko.  There’s no one else here who _understands_.  I need your help.  Please.”

Zuko scowls and looks at the floor.  “All right.  But we need to be smart about this.  Go back to your delegation and act like nothing’s wrong.  I need to tie up some loose ends, call in a few favors and see what I can find out about this.  Meet me here, two hours after the palace lunch service.  And don’t say anything.  To _anyone_.”

“Oh, thank you, Zuko!”  Katara rushes the Fire Lord and hugs him tightly, her tears finally streaming freely.  “Thank you so much.  We’re going to find them, I know it.”  Zuko eases into her embrace and startles her by gently stroking her hair.  Noticing a sudden… _stiffness_ pressing against her thigh, Katara pulls away and wipes her cheeks.  Zuko awkwardly turns back to the window.  “Don’t worry, I’ll pull myself together before anyone sees me,” Katara laughs, covering up her own embarrassment.  She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before hustling out the door, calling back to Zuko, too cheerfully:   “Okay.  See you in a few hours.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara keeps up the pretext of business as usual, though she's haunted by a violent specter of her past.

“You said you wouldn’t be gone long, Master Katara.”  Akna’s face is contorted into a knot of disapproval as Katara makes her way back to her pile of research.  “We were beginning to worry.”

“I’m sorry,” Katara begins, straining to keep her tone casual.  “Qiao pounced on me in one of the gardens and it took forever to get her out of my hair.  She’s trying to convince me to back the Earth Kingdom for some reason.”  Katara rolls her eyes and pulls out a scroll with information on budget proposals for the Water Tribe capital’s first five years.  “Ready for a quiz, Unna?”

Unna eagerly takes the scroll.  “Sure, Katara!  Ummmm…in the first year, how much of the budget is allocated for infrastructure and—“

Akna interrupts, raising her voice.  “But why would Qiao try to convince you to support the Earth Kingdom bid? It’s preposterous, unless she has some reason to question your loyalty.”

“Ugh!”  Unna crumples the scroll in frustration.  “Akna, come on!  Yesterday you were beside yourself because we didn’t have a big name here backing us up.  Now that we have one, all you’re doing is complaining and worrying!”

“It’s okay, Unna,” Katara jumps in, sensing Akna’s growing anger at the junior delegate.  “I know I’m not your first choice, Akna, but I’m perfectly capable of doing this.  And you know Qiao, you know what she’s like.  I doubt her talking to me had anything to do with me.  It’s probably just a maneuver to undermine your confidence.  Qiao knows who the real leader is here, and so do I.”

“That’s right, Akna.”  Unna’s tone is more measured, calmer.  “Katara’s here, and she’s not going to let us down.”

Katara feels her heart sink, but nods encouragingly at Akna, who clucks an apology and busies herself in location scouting reports.  Unna resumes the budget quiz with Katara.  _I’m so sorry that I have to prove you wrong, Unna.  But you’ll all be worse off if anything happens to Sokka._

The rest of the morning passes quickly, in a flurry of parchment and planning.  Katara takes a little comfort in how thoroughly prepared the Water Tribe delegation is, even without Sokka’s technical expertise.  _Maybe they’ll be all right without me after all._

At noon, Chu, Purnak and the other delegates come by the small study on their way to lunch.  Akna and Unna join them, but Katara begs off, saying that she needs to keep studying.  Secretly, she’s craving a few moments alone, maybe enough to cry a little and privately freak out about how weird the end of her encounter with Zuko turned out.  _Besides, he might be meeting with that Orochi in the dining hall, and it wouldn’t help anything if I show up there, too._ Unna promises to bring a plate back for Katara.

After her fellow tribespeople leave the room, Katara drops the scroll she’s holding and goes limp in her chair, staring off into space.  She hasn’t felt this desolate, this _afraid_ in years… 

After Aang and Zei left for the Southern Air Temple, the evening passed like any other evening in the South Pole.  Katara helped Gran-Gran prepare a meal, and afterward, she led a special waterbending class for the female immigrants from the North Pole.  Then she joined Sokka, Suki, and the rest of her family around the fire at Gran-Gran and Pakku’s telling stories and singing songs until everyone was too tired to keep their eyes open.  Hakoda herded Sokka and Suki to his hut next door,  Katara dragged herself to her usual sleeping skins at Gran-Gran’s and fell asleep immediately.

She awoke to a rough hand clapping over her mouth.  Her arms moved toward her waterskin, but she discovered that they were pinned to the ground, as were her legs.  “Death to the Fire Nation,” a voice hissed.  “Death to the Avatar, and death to you if you don’t do as you’re told.”  Katara’s eyes scanned the hut wildly, but could only make out the vague shapes of two people.  She inhaled sharply through her nose, her eyes watering—whoever these attackers were, their smell alone would have been enough to incapacitate her.  She felt a pinch as something pressed against her windpipe.  “Don’t even think about screaming,” warned the one holding the knife to her throat, the same one covering her mouth with his filthy hand.  “Or we’ll make sure that scream’s your last.”

Katara heard a faint commotion from across the hut, where Gran-Gran and Pakku slept.  A tiny whimper escaped from her throat.  “Shhhh…keep quiet, and maybe we’ll let them live.”  She strained her eyes to make out the face of her attacker, but she could see nothing in the inky blackness.  Whoever these people were, they had extinguished the embers of the fire at the hut’s center, plunging everything into darkness.  Katara tried again to move her legs, only to be met with stronger pressure.  “Don’t let her move, not an inch,” warned the man, directing his voice toward Katara’s knees.  “If she can get her arms free—“

“I know, okay, I’m not stupid!”  The other voice was indignant, and distinctly female.  “I’ve got it.”  Katara felt her hands press further into the floor as the woman exerted more force to keep Katara on the ground.  Katara realized that the woman was kneeling on her thighs, with her shins crossed over Katara’s to ensure that she couldn’t kick free.  The man was resting his knife arm on her chest so that if she so much as twitched, he could sink an elbow into her torso.

“Now listen up, Master Katara,” the man snarled.  “By now, our men on board that ship have slit your boyfriend’s throat.  We’ll do the same to you and the old folks over there if you don’t cooperate.”

“But you’re worth more to us alive than dead, so this’ll go a lot smoother if we all get along, hmmmm?”  The woman loosed her grip on Katara’s wrists slightly—not enough that she could get free, of course, but enough that it wasn’t quite so painful.

Hot tears streamed down Katara’s face, and the fact that she couldn’t bend them into something more useful only made them come faster.  She was furious with herself for letting Aang go that afternoon.  If he’d stayed, they might not have avoided this, but at least they could have faced it together.

Suddenly, Katara felt something whiz just above her face.  A second later, the hand clamped on her mouth flew upward and the knife at her throat hit the hut floor with a thud.  The woman holding her arms flinched and Katara seized the opportunity to wrench herself free.  With barely a twinge of guilt, Katara used bloodbending to hurl her attackers out of the hut.  In a panic, she reached her fingertips toward the other side of the hut, prepared to do the same to Gran-Gran and Pakku’s captors—but she stopped when she realized that she couldn’t tell her family members from her enemies in the dark.

As she scrambled for her waterskin, someone with a torch shot into the hut.  Katara could see a shock of red hair glinting in the firelight.  _Suki._   The Kyoshi Warrior flung her torch into the fire pit, lighting up the hut as she trained her katana on the three other intruders, women wearing shapeless brown shifts and headbands to match.  Two of them were kneeling on Pakku and Gran Gran, and one covered their mouths.  Both Pakku and Gran Gran appeared to be unharmed, Katara noted with relief as she plucked her waterskin from the floor and looped it across her chest. 

“Real warriors do their fighting out in the open,”  Suki spat.  “Not in the dead of night, like cowards.  Come outside and we’ll give you a chance—otherwise we’ll kill you where you stand.”  The woman holding Gran Gran down sprang up immediately, her hands above her head.  Suki inclined her head toward the door and the woman ran out into the frigid night.  “Any other takers?”  The others didn’t move.  Katara kept her eyes on them as she moved into fighting stance. 

Everything seemed to happen at once.  The woman covering Gran Gran and Pakku’s mouths let go and pulled a pair of short knives from her belt.  “Go low!” Katara shrieked, and Suki fell to her knees, sinking her blade into the woman’s torso as Katara whipped discs of ice at her neck.  The knifewielder’s head fell backward, but the woman pinning Pakku didn’t budge.  Gran Gran screamed as the dead assassin’s blood washed over her, and Suki moved forward, quick as lightning, laying the edge of her blade against the remaining woman’s throat.  Katara hung back, shaking, as Suki spoke in a terrible voice:  “Last chance.” 

The woman merely smiled and whispered, “Bok soo,” before Suki pulled her katana back and opened her throat.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of a heinous attack, Sokka metes out justice.

Gran Gran and Pakku held fast to one another as they limped outside, shaking from fear and cold.  Katara and Suki followed.  Katara was the only one not covered in blood.

Katara could see a crowd gathering at the village center.  _Word got around fast, or we weren’t the only ones who were attacked._   She whispered to Suki, “How did you know?”

“A group got into your father’s hut.  They expected us to be asleep, but we weren’t.  Your father got it out of the two survivors that you were the target, but not before they’d cut him up pretty badly.  They weren’t sure which hut you’d sleep in, so they sent two teams.”

Panic crept into Katara’s voice.  “Where’s dad now? Is he okay?”

“He should be.  Bato’s taking care of him, I think.

“What happened to the others?  The ones I tossed out?  And the one who ran?”

Suki’s jaw clenched and she narrowed her eyes.  “Sokka.”

When they reached the rest of the villagers, Katara saw him right away, standing on the wooden platform, firelight flickering across his high cheekbones and the new sword he’d forged with Piandao after the war.  The terrible look in his eyes chilled Katara to her core.  To his left, kneeling on the platform, were five people, all wearing the same rough brown shift and headband, bound with rope at ankles and wrists, all on their knees, eyes downcast.

Sokka caught sight of Katara and Suki, but she thought what really set him off was the sight of their grandmother, stained red and clinging to Pukku as other villagers brought furs to wrap them in and boots to warm their feet.  They—and Katara—had numbly walked barefoot from the hut, in shock.  Some neighbor lifted Katara up and jammed her legs into a pair of too-small mukluks as her brother began to speak.

“Brothers and sisters!”  Sokka’s voice, newly deep, rang against the ice floes.  “These people have invaded our village!  They have attacked my family—no!  They have attacked _our_ family.”  Sokka paused and walked slowly behind the captives, staring hard at the tops of their bent heads.  “Not all of us here are native to the Water Tribe,” he continued, still pacing.  “Many of you came here looking for a new life, a peaceful life.  These—“ Sokka swept his free hand over the prisoners’ backs.  “They want the old life.  The life of fear, of hate.  In the past, when Ozai’s Fire Nation attacked us, we could do nothing.  I will not stand by and allow these criminals to imitate Ozai--”

“No!”  One of the prisoners shouted and looked out, wild-eyed, into the crowd.  Katara recognized her as the assailant who had run from Suki.  “Death to the Fire Nation, death to the Avatar!  Bok soo!”  The other three snapped to attention, and joined in her chant.  Katara could see the wounds on their faces, where Suki’s fan had struck the man who’d threatened her, the broken nose on the woman she’d flung from the hut, a bruise blooming on the cheek of an assailant she hadn’t seen before, probably courtesy of Hakoda’s fist.   “Death to the Fire Nation, death to the Avatar!  Bok soo!” 

An angry murmur surged through the crowd and Katara remembered with a jolt.  _Aang.  They said someone had already gotten to Aang._   The chanting grew louder, even as the villagers tried to drown their voices out.  Katara felt her rage, white-hot, rippling down into her fingertips.  She’d already blood-bent tonight, and the full moon was still high overhead.  _Just a quick squeeze, and I could shut them up forever—_

“ _Quiet!_ ”  Sokka’s voice cut through the noise, and suddenly the only sound to be heard was the lapping of the sea against the icy shore.  He glared at the attackers, brandishing his blade.  “Next time, it’s your necks, understand?  Don’t like being compared to Ozai?  Then maybe you shouldn’t try to kill innocent people while they sleep!”  They turned their faces back to the ground.  Sokka cleared his throat.  “We cannot allow this.  We have to defend our home.  If we’re going to build a better world, we can’t have people like this at the South Pole, coming to kill our sisters, our grandparents, our fiancées in the night.”  Sokka’s voice cracked, which surprised Katara.  _I can’t believe he’s letting this get personal—and when did he propose to Suki?_ She glanced at Suki’s neck in spite of herself.  Suki’s eyes darted to Katara’s, and she pulled down the high neck of her parka, revealing a green and gold necklace.  Quickly, both women returned their attention to Sokka.

The young warrior took a deep breath.  “If we let these people go, they’ll only train others like them and sow discord and violence everywhere they go.  They may come back and succeed in murdering my sister, or maybe one of you.  I don’t like it, but I think…I think we have to execute them.  I…I put it to the Council.”

Katara could see the nervous young cub peering out from behind the wolf her brother had become as he watched the Council of Elders deliberate, Pakku among them.  After a few moments, Pakku himself stepped shakily forward.  “The Council has no objection.”

Sokka’s chest puffed out and he announced with confidence, “I put it to the Tribe.”  No one spoke.  Sokka nodded slowly, addressing the condemned.  “I, Sokka of the Water Tribe, take it upon myself to do justice for my village.  Any last words?”

Once again, the group began to chant, so loudly that no one noticed the faint thud and gust of wind behind the crowd.  “Death to the Fire Nation, death to the Avatar!  Bok soo!  Death to the Fire Nation, death to the Avatar—“  Sokka sheared their heads from their necks in one blow and all was silence.

No one knew what to do.  No one could remember an execution in the South Pole.  Katara felt strange, ecstatic and guilty all at one.  Hot tears burned her eyes as she thought of Aang, and how she could possibly go about finding him, when suddenly she heard his voice.

“Sokka. What have you done?”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara and Zuko slip out of the palace undetected--or so they hope.

“Shhhhhhh!”  A black-clad figure darts into the study and presses up against the door.  Katara gasps in shock, but before she can fully open her mouth, the figure flits to her chair and covers the lower-half of her face with a hand.  As she begins to panic, the figure speaks.  “It’s okay, Katara, it’s me.”  There is an awkward pause.  “Uh…Zuko.”

Katara sighs, and Zuko removes his hand.  “I _do_ recognize your voice, you know.  What’s going on?  I thought we were meeting in two hours?”

“Change of plans.  Everyone’s still at lunch, mostly.  We need to get to the loading dock as soon as possible.  Here, put these on.”  He holds out another set of black clothes and a mask to conceal Katara’s face.

“Won’t we look even more suspicious running around in black?”  Katara asks, even though she’s already turned her back to Zuko and begun undoing her dress.

“Probably,” he allows.  She can feel him pointedly _not_ looking in her direction as he speaks and her cheeks flush.  “But at least this way we’ll buy a little time.  People might think we’re thieves or assassins or something.”

Katara’s dress drops to the floor and she quickly pulls her black top on, followed by the trousers.  She tries her best to shove her _sarashi_ into the waistband, but it’s too bulky, so she pulls it off before fastening the mask around her ears and strapping her water skin securely to her body.  She turns to face Zuko.  “Where should I leave my clothes?”

He glances at her warily.  _Probably to make sure I’m not naked_.  “Um, I didn’t really think of that.  Behind a chair or something?”  Katara rolls her eyes and stuffs the pile of garments under the leafy branches of a potted plant.   “Your water skin’s going to really stand out against the black, maybe you should—“

Katara glares at Zuko.  “Should what?  Head into spirits know what, completely unarmed?  Not happening.  And before we go anywhere, would you mind filling me in on exactly what it is we’re doing?”

 “There’s no time.  You’re just going to have to trust me on this—well, trust Uncle, anyway.  He’s the one smuggling us out.  Now come on, I’ll explain everything once we’re on our way.”  Zuko slips silently into the hallway, and Katara follows close behind.  They creep swiftly down the hallway, pausing briefly at corners to check for anyone who might be trailing them or simply walking by.  Finally, Zuko ducks down and presses a panel in the wall. The panel recedes and slides away.  Zuko motions for Katara to crawl inside, which she does after only the briefest hesitation.  Zuko inches his way in, replacing the panel and plunging the crawlspace into inky darkness.  Zuko draws a flame from his palm, casting a flickering light that barely illuminates the narrow passage that stretches out on either side of Katara.  He holds a finger up to his lips and starts slithering to the left, one-handed.  Katara falls in line behind him, and they make their way through the dark together.

Katara’s hands are scraped raw and her knees are throbbing when Zuko pulls up abruptly, extinguishing his flame.  Katara runs face first into Zuko’s rear end.  Zuko knocks on the wall ahead, in a deliberate repeating pattern.  She can’t tell how long it’s been since they fled the Water Tribe’s library headquarters and hopes that whatever comes next will afford her an opportunity to soothe her bleeding palms and bruised shins.  At last, the wall in front of Zuko swings open and the Fire Lord silently hoists himself through the opening.  Katara limps outside and steps blinking into the bright, alien sunlight.  The loading dock is eerily empty.  General Iroh is the only person moving among the stacks of earthen crates used to ship food and other supplies throughout the Four Nations.

“Quickly, nephew, news of your disappearance has spread, and I have begged the _guenloja_ on duty to seek out word of your whereabouts.  They’ll never suspect you’re here with your foolish old uncle.”

“Unless I’m caught, of course. “  Zuko’s jaw tightens as he puts a hand on Iroh’s shoulder.  “Thank you, Uncle, we couldn’t have done it without you.  Which crate is ours?”

“This way.”  Iroh ushers the pair of benders to a crate stamped with the Jasmine Dragon logo.  Iroh drops to all fours and Zuko steps up onto his back and pushes the crate’s lid back.  He swings up and disappears into the crate.  “You next, Katara, up you go.”  Katara’s mouth goes dry as she tries to thank Iroh, who shakes his head.  “No time.  Just bring my nephew back in one piece.  You’ve never let me down before.  Good luck.  I’ll be here, ready to help any way I can.”  Katara places one foot on the General’s back and maneuvers her way into the crate, where Zuko is already down on hands and knees.  She hops up onto Zuko’s back and moves the heavy crate’s top back into place just as the palace workers’ footsteps begin to echo in the distance.

The enormity of what they’ve just done and everything they must still do hits Katara as she collapses next to Zuko on the cramped floor of the crate.  She begins to whimper silently as she hears Iroh go into theatrical hysterics about what terrible fate had befallen his nephew.  Zuko puts his arms around her, and for once, Katara doesn’t push him away.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara and Zuko wait for transport and their attraction comes to a head.

They sit quietly for a long time, listening to the sounds outside long after Iroh has been ushered away by the loading dock foreman.  After a hushed conference about how reliable the seal on the crate is, they pull off their masks and Zuko produces another small flame so Katara can wrap water around her hands and knees to soothe her hurts.  Once the pain has dulled to a throb, she takes Zuko’s hand gently in her own and waves liquid over his bloody palm and shins.  She does what she can and collapses, exhausted,.  Zuko extinguishes the flame.  _Better not to take any chances_.  They’re both curled up inside the small crate—its interior measures six feet square at best, and some of that space is taken up by the supplies Iroh managed to smuggle inside.  Katara is fairly certain that he’s included a fresh waterskin, for which she’s grateful—there’s nowhere to dispose of the blood and dirt-clouded water in the skin she brought along, and Katara prefers to fight clean.

There’s no way of telling how long they’ve been shut up in the crate, which still smells faintly of tea, but it’s been long enough that both young benders are coated in a fine, damp sheen of perspiration.  Katara can tell not only by the way her sense for a new water source perks up, but also by the many times she and the sweaty Fire Lord brush against one another.  She’s counted thirty-one accidental (and awkward) encounters in the dark by the time the voices of the _guenloja_ come up to the edge of the crate.  They hoist the crate with their bending, and Katara loses count of how often they touch as she and Zuko tumble around the crate.  She does her best to hold in any squeaks or groans as her elbows and head bang against the earthen walls.

After what seems like an eternity as long as their time on the loading dock, they stabilize.  As the voices recede once again, Zuko whispers, “We’re on a cart now,  that will take us to our ship at the docks.  Once we’re on board and the ship sails, we can crack the lid and let some air in.  We should keep quiet til then.”  He pauses.  “I’m sorry we’re traveling so—“

“Uncomfortably?”  Katara hisses.  “Me too.”  Then she softens, knowing how difficult it must have been to arrange their exodus in just a few hours.  “I’m sorry.  I know you did your best.  And thank you.”

Somehow, she can feel Zuko smiling his wry smile in the darkness.  “You’re welcome.  I’m going to try to get some sleep before we get moved again.  Don’t worry, Uncle uses really porous stone to make his crates, so we won’t suffocate or anything.”

Katara nearly has another indignant outburst, but she decides to save it for later, when she can talk a bit louder and Zuko’s not trying to use her torso as a pillow.

Zuko sleeps fitfully, but soundly enough.  Katara gazes down, imagining his face pointed upward from her lap.  _And least I don’t have the equipment to make this weird_.  She’s grateful for the lack of light in case he’s standing at attention—she’s seen it happen to Aang, the pure monk, so she can only imagine how often fiery Zuko dreams of sex.

Katara’s brow furrows involuntarily once her mind lights upon Aang.  She forces his face out of her mind.  _I’ve gone hours without giving him a thought, and he’s not going to turn up inside this crate._   She shifts a bit , trying to arrange herself so that her tailbone isn’t pressed against the stone floor.  Iroh thoughtfully lined the crate with a blanket, but the cloth only serves to make the surface smoother, not softer.  Zuko stirs and mutters something.

“What did you say?”  Katara asks as loudly as she dares, wondering if Zuko’s wounds are troubling him again.

Zuko pulls himself up as much as their cramped quarters will allow.  She can feel the heat of his skin inches from her face although she can’t see him.  He leans in, lips against her ear, and murmurs, “I really want to kiss you, Katara.”

A jolt runs through Katara’s body, like lightning, only once it’s passed, it escapes as liquid, oozing out between her thighs.  She can feel Zuko next to her, panting lightly, from the heat or his lust or possibly both.  She grabs Zuko’s arms and her mind swims, looking for a reason to shove him away.  A face flickers briefly in her consciousness, but it fades as soon as she’s managed to put Aang’s name to it.  Her hands search gently for his face in the darkness.  Finding it, she cups his jaw in her hands, the skin so perfect under her hand that she never would have known the Fire Lord bore any scars.  Tentatively, she smoothes a lock of hair from his forehead to the mottled side of his face, choking on a tiny gasp as she is once again rocked by a fiery wave of desire.  This time she doesn’t hesitate.  Katara presses her lips to Zuko’s just as the cart beneath them lurches into motion.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara and Zuko finally give in to their attraction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to reader Kimberly_T for pointing out the limitations of a 5x5 crate. I'm bad at both math and spatial awareness, so I'm retconning it to 6x6. Carry on, enjoy, etc.

They begin slowly, with gentle caresses and kisses that are practically chaste as they try to arrange their bodies in fits and starts inside the humid crate as it bumps along atop the slow-moving cart.  They wind up kneeling, facing one another, hands groping limply at shoulders and biceps, and Katara feels a creeping sense of imminent disappointment.  _What a terrible idea.  I should have said no, now we have to stay in this stupid crate for hours and then travel…_

A sudden defiance overtakes Katara and she darts her tongue into Zuko’s mouth.  He makes a tiny noise of surprise, but responds by wrapping his arms forcefully around Katara.  She pushes back and the Fire Lord unfolds slowly, lying on his back, head on a pile of supplies in one corner, feet stretched out diagonally, with a Waterbender inching sinuously up his body.  When Katara once again reaches Zuko’s face, she deliberately pushes her pelvis against his erection.

“Katara,” he gasps, “I don’t--”

She kisses him deeply, holding his shoulders down as she feels his body tense up.  She pulls away and whispers, “Yes, you do.”

Everything blurs together for Katara as Zuko rises to kiss her again, over and over, this time moving his hands over her back, her hair, her breasts, with expert grace.  She feels her nipples harden against Zuko’s chest and the dampness between her legs blossoms into an exquisite ache.  She rolls her hips and a wave of gentle pleasure spreads all the way through her body.  Katara giggles in spite of herself and feels Zuko smiling against her cheek.

“I’ve wanted this for so long,” he murmurs into her ear.  “But it was never the right time.  After this thing with Mai, I thought, maybe…”

Katara hesitates.  “Maybe we have to make it the right time,” she offers.

“Uh, yeah.  Basically.”  He pulls back.  “Have you…have you done this before?”

Katara’s mind races _.  If I tell him no, he won’t go through with it.  He’ll start talking about everyone’s_ honor _and then we’ll never be together._   She startles herself, thinking of herself and Zuko…together.  “Of course,” she lies.  “I mean, not a lot, I’m not very good at it—“

Zuko circles her waist with his hands.  “I can’t imagine you not being very good at _anything_ , Katara.  You’ll have to prove it.”  His hands snake up under her shirt, next to her bare skin, stretching the material taut as he slides the garment up toward Katara’s neck.  After an awkward moment, Katara wriggles her arms free of the sleeves.  Zuko cups her breasts in his hands briefly before his right hand traces a shivery path down her abdomen.

When he starts fumbling with the waistband of her trousers, Katara grabs his hand.  “Not fair, Fire Lord.”  She kisses him again and they writhe and roll until Zuko is lying on top of her.  He eagerly pulls his shirt off and collapses barechested on top of Katara as the cart hits a rut in the road.

Zuko smoothes her hair back.  “I wish I could see you.  This isn’t how I imagined it.”  Before she can answer, he nips her quickly on the lips and kneels over her thighs, working his hand between her legs.  Katara half-gasps, half-shrieks and Zuko reminds her to stay quiet by placing his free hand over her mouth.  She keeps her eyes wide open, wishing for a light, however faint, to see his face as he slides a finger inside her and crooks his thumb to cover the sensitive nub hidden beneath her tiny thicket of hair.  He barely takes any time to warm up, stroking the slickness of her innermost quickly, punctuating each stroke with a press on the nub.  Katara’s back arches involuntarily as he slips another finger inside.  She feels herself clench around Zuko’s hand as sharp signals of satisfaction cycle through her body.  Katara shudders to a stop as Zuko glides his hand back to her breasts and playfully tweaks her nipples. 

She’s barely come back to herself, smiling, when her hands shoot out, finding Zuko’s pants, wanting to make him feel what she’s just felt.  Together, they push the cloth out of the way, and he only steps on her once as he frees his legs.  He straddles her, on all fours, and his shaft just grazes her yoni before she takes it in her hand and kisses him.  She’s never touched a man like this before, and she’s surprised by how warm, soft and… _substantial_ Zuko feels in her hand.  Katara dimly recalls that there are things that are supposed to come _before_ intercourse, but she draws her knees upward and guides Zuko’s body downward until he is in position to enter her. 

He only pauses a moment before pushing into the dampness of her hungry opening.  Katara feels pressure, but not the pain she’s been warned to expect.  Zuko pumps his hips, and Katara can feel herself responding deliciously to his every move.  He groans, quietly, her name tumbling over his lips as he leans down to kiss her.  She begins to push back against him, taking him deeper with every thrust, encouraging him to go faster, her own excitement building with his until he spasms, drawing a sharp breath.  Katara can feel his seed surging before he releases, and the sensation causes her to climax in unison with Zuko.  She presses her mouth against his to stop herself from crying out, until finally, they collapse side by side, hands laced together, feeling the roughness of the road beneath them and the beating of each other’s hearts.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara realizes the consequences of surrendering herself to the Fire Lord.

Katara wakes with a sudden start, gasping, clutching. Before she has any idea what’s happening, she feels warm lips against hers, hands soothing her body back into relaxation.

She remembers, slowly, that she’s with Zuko. They’re in transit, though she has no idea where. He’s a friend. “Hi,” he sighs. Katara is frustrated. _It’s all meant too much already_ , she thinks, as she sinks her lips into Zuko’s. “You have no idea,” he says, as he grinds his pelvis back into hers, “how much I’ve wanted to do that to you.”

“Well! Now that you have,” she spits, her voice acid in their confinement, “How do you like it?”

“Uh…I, I, you’re…”

“Of course,” she hisses. “Trick a girl into flight, you do as she wants as pleases you, Fire Lord. No consideration of anyone else.”

He pulls her tightly to his chest, tighter than he’s ever pulled her before. “No,” he purrs. “Only you. Always you.” The heat in the crate, the turbulence of the crate silences them both, but before she collapses, Katara wraps her arms around Zuko’s back. _I’ve come this far. I have to be with him if we’re discovered. There’s no other explanation._ And then, suddenly, his arms pulling tight around her, Zuko breathes, “I love you, Katara. I’ve always loved you.” And then there’s nothing left to say as he hardens and enters her once again, her body arching to welcome him...


End file.
